GB2498176A - News ranking and alerting system - Google Patents

Abstract

A news grading or ranking and alerting system comprises a network server 12 that receives individual news items 64 from one or more news supplying clients 14 each supplying a subject area 56 and significance rating 70 for the news items 64. The network server 12 also automatically transforms the allotted significance ratings 70 to alert levels 66 according to different transformation possibilities. User clients 16 provide a profile of subjects 50 56 of interest and alert levels at or above which they wish to receive alert notification. The network server 12 alerts the user clients 16 when an individual news item 64 is received fitting the user client's 16 specification. The network server can use textual element analysis automatically to determine if the nominated subject area 56 is correct, and sends the news item 64 to a supervising client 19 for definite allocation and possible creation of a new subject area 56 if the nominated subject area seems incorrect. The network server 12 can also check news items 64 to see if they relate to earlier reported event, in which case transformation includes averaging of all received significance ratings 70 for the same event to provide a notified alert level 66. The network server 12 can provide codes to requestors that allow browser or website displays that change in sympathy with incoming individual news items 64.

Description

News Grading (Ranking) and Alerting System and method

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method for receiving and grading or ranking or ranking news reports. The invention further relates to a system and method for alerting and dissemination graded or ranked news reports.

The Prior Art l0

Similar systems and methods exist, though all bear differences from the present invention.

As a first similar system, United States Patent 7,181,428 discloses a risk management method and system for facilitating analysis and quantification of risk associated with politically exposed persons is disclosed. A computerized political risk management system maintains a database that relates individuals to politically sensitive positions and world events. A rating system is used to assess risk based upon criteria such as a position held, historical data and/or interpretation of world events. The system can generate a risk quotient or other rating based upon a weighted algorithm applied to the criteria. The risk quotient is indicative of risk associated with an account.

Actions commensurate with a risk quotient can be presented to an institution to help the institution properly manage risk associated with a politically exposed person. A log or other stored history can be created such that utilization of the system can mitigate adverse effects relating to a problematic account. Mitigation can be accomplished by demonstrating to regulatory bodies, shareholders, news media and other interested parties that corporate governance is being addressed through tangible risk management processes.

The present invention seeks to provide improvement there over by employing an historical database to store and assess events in all fields of news according to the manner in which they are perceived in terms of global governance at the time of their occurrence.

As a second similar system, United States Patent 7,333,985 discloses a method and a system for dynamically updating information for publication on the Internet. Meaningful content is extracted from information received from multiple sources such as news sources. The information can contain text, sound, images and video. A set of characterizing features for the received information is determined. Information having common characterizing features is grouped together into a number of clusters. The information obtained in the grouping step is used to determine how to publish the information contained in a cluster based on a customer request for information. This customer request tO can be based on a query or a customer profile assigned to the customer. The present invention seeks to provide improvement there over by further permitting an estimation of global significance to be included in news items.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, the present invention consists in a system for receiving, grading or ranking and making available graded or ranked news reports, the system comprising: a networks server, operable to received and store news submitted items from one or more news supplying clients; one or more news supplying clients; and one or more user clients; where the network server is operable to receive and store a subject area with each submitted news item; the network server is operable to receive and store a significance level allocated to a submitted news item by the news supplying client submitting the news item; the network server is operable automatically to transform the significance level into an alert level: and the network server is operable to alert a user client when a news item in a user client selected subject area at or above a user client selected alert level is submitted and to supply the news item to the user client when requested.

According to a second aspect, the invention consists in a method usable for receiving, grading or ranking and making available graded or ranked news reports, the method comprising: a step of a network server receiving and storing submitted news items from one or more news supplying clients; a step of the network server receiving and storing a subject area with each submitted news item; a step of the network server receiving and storing a significance level allocated to a submitted news item by a news supplying client submitting the news item; a step of the network server automatically to transforming the significance level into an alert level: a step of the network server alerting a user client when a news item in a user client selected subject area at or above a user client selected alert level is submitted; and a step of the network server supplying the news item to the user client when requested.

The invention also provides that the network server can be operable automatically to detect when a submitted news item in a selected subject area is for the same event as for one or more other submitted news items.

to The invention also provides that the network server can be operable automatically to use all allocated significance levels for the same event to transform the significance levels into an alert level for the event.

The invention also provides that the network server can average all allocated significance levels.

The invention also provides that the system can comprise a supervising client operable to provided administrative adjudication; that the network server can analyse the content of a submitted news item to determine if the selected subject area is correct; that the network server can send any news item that seems to be incorrectly categorized in the selected subject area to the supervising client; and that the network server can allocate the subject area of the submitted news item according to a decision provided to the network server from the supervising client.

The invention also provides that the network server can store and make accessible textual elements that are expected to be present in any text with a submitted news item in the selected subject area; that the network server can scan text accompanying a submitted news item in the selected subject area for a sufficiency of textual elements in the scanned text; that the network server can deem a submitted news item as seeming to be incorrectly categorized if the sufficiency of textual elements is not found; that the scanned text can be deemed to have a sufficiency of textual items when at least one of: more than a predetermined number of matches are found; and more that a predetermined proportion of the textual elements have found a match; and that the textual elements can comprise at least one of: words; word combinations; phrases; and symbols that should or could appear in text accompanying a submitted news item in the selected subject area.

The invention also provides that, in the event of the subject area being incorrect, the supervising server can allocate a new subject matter area to the submitted news item; and that news supplying clients providing subsequently submitted news items are operable to select the new subject matter area.

The invention also provides that the network server can provide a downloadable news tO display process for provision to a user facility; that the downloadable news display process can be operable, when working with the user's facility, to refer back to the network server to receive displayable material for displaying on the user's facility; that the users facility comprises at least one of: a user's website; and a user's browser; and that the subject area and alert level of the displayable material can be determined by user client selection.

Brief description of the Drawings

The invention is further explained, by way of example, by the following description to be read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary layout of a system capable of employing the invention.

Figure 2 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating one of many configurations of hardware in the network server 12 that can be used for the invention to function.

Figure 3 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating program content used by the processor of Figure 2 to allow the network server to fulfil the functions required for practise of the invention.

Figure 4 is an exemplary screen display presentable to a user client, and serves, in part, to assist in explaining the collection of news items that are key to the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates an example of one of many ways in which submitted news items and their alert levels can be visually displayed, being a representation of data fields contained in the matrix memory otherwise illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a table, illustrating in tabular form, a first exemplary automatic transformation useable in a first embodiment of the invention to derive alert levels from allocated significance levels.

Figure 7 is a table illustrating, in tabular form, a second exemplary automatic transformation useable in a second embodiment of the invention to derive alert levels from allocated significance levels.

Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating a further transformation whereby the system automatically can moderate the effect upon the alert level that individual news supplying clients can cause.

Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method whereby an individual news item can be assured of placement in the correct individual subject area.

Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating how the network server can provide alert images to browsers and websites. and

Figure 11 is a flow chart illustrating how the network server, when a new news item is received, can provide alert messages to user agents and updated alert images to users who have made an alert image request.

Detailed Description

Attention is first drawn to Figure 1, a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary layout of a system capable of employing the invention.

A network 10, in this example the Internet 10, has a network server 12 that is in bi-directional communication with one or more news supplying clients 14 and one or more user clients 16. Bi-directional communication is provided between the network server and the news supplying clients 14 by means of supplying client connections 17 and bi-directional communication between the

S

network server 12 and the user clients 16 is provided by user client connections 18. A supervising client 19 provides bi-directional communication with the network server 12 using a supervising client connection. While the user client connections 18 and the supply client connections are shown, in Figure 1, as being directly connected between the network server 12 and the client 14 16, it is to be understood that the connection 1718 19 can include one or more items necessary for the client 14 16 19 to be coupled to the network 10 depending upon the nature of the client such as, but not limited to: WiFi hotspot transceivers and servers; Internet Service Provider (ISP) tO servers; and Mobile phone servers and routers.

The network need not be the Internet, but can be any other network or communication system, including, but not restricted to: wide area networks (WAN); local area networks (LAN); wireless networks; and any combination of these or other networks or communication systems joined together singly or severally, permanently or temporarily, using gateways or any others means of inter coupling, to communicate information with servers 12 and clients 14 16 as here after described.

News supplying clients 14 are devices, such as portable or mobile devices such as, but not limited to Internet and/or wireless enabled: laptop computers; palmtop computers; tablet processors; and telephone devices. The operator of a news supplying client 14 provides news items to the network processor 12.

With each item of news, the operator of the news supplying client 14 also indicates the subject area into which each news item falls. The operator of a news supplying server 14 also provides an assessment of the state of global governance that each news item seems, to operator, to represent.

The news items provided can be created by the operator of a news supplying client 14, or can be, in whole or in part, derived from sources such as text (newspapers, magazines, network sites) or video (news, networks sites,) and sound commentary. The material provided by the operator of a news supplying client 14 may originate in whole or in part from the operator of the news supplying client 14 and/or from other sources.

User clients 16 can sign up with the service provided through the network server 12 and provide a profile indicating what types of news (news subject area) and the minimum significance level of a news item in the chosen subject area or areas that should trigger a notification to be sent to the user client 16 so that the user client may download and view the news item concerned. As described here after, a user client 16 may also leave further rating or comment to be viewed by others.

One or more supervising clients 19 are used to provide software upgrades to the network server 14, and to allow moderator activity in relation to the network server.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 2, an exemplary block diagram illustrating hardware of the network server 12 that can be used for the invention to function.

The network server 12 comprises a processor 20 employing a working memory 22 operable to provide instructions and data to the processor 10 and to receive results and data from the processor 10. A matrix memory 24 is also coupled to receive and store data from the processor and to provide data to the processor 10. A news supplying modem 26 is controlled from the processor 10 and provides bi-directional communication with one or more news supplying clients 14 using one or more supplying client connections 17.

A user modem 28 is also provided, and gives bi-directional communication with one or more user clients 16 using one or more user client connections 18.

A supervisory modem 30 allows communication between the network server 12 processor 20 and the one or more supervisory clients 19 mentioned above.

A server disc controller 32, under instruction from the processor 10, is coupled to control a plurality of disc drives 34.The disc drives 34 accept and store copies of the data in the matrix memory 24 as it changes, and also provide items requested by the user clients 16 to be sent to a requesting user client 16 by the user modem 28.

The network server 12 shown in Figure 2 is only one of many different possible configurations that may be used to allow the invention to be practised. The network server 12 can be provided in a so called "cloud" configuration where a plurality of data exchanging network sub-servers, all accessed using common network address or addresses, co-operate with one another to achieve various parts of the overall function of the network controller 12 as described hereafter. The disc drives 24 can, individually, severally or totally, be any kind of re-writeable non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to: flash memory; re-writable DVD and CD memory; and ferromagnetic memory.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 3, a block diagram illustrating the program content used by the processor 20 to allow the network server 12 to fulfil the functions required in practise of the invention.

The memory 22 of the processor 20 shown in Figure 2 comprises an operating system program 36 that controls the function of the processor 20 operating within the network server 12 such as fetching and selecting individual steps of each program's operation, attending to keyboards, switches and other data input, attending to input devices such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, and enabling data movement and storage.

The memory 22 of the processor 20 also comprises a set of modem control programs 38 that control the addressing, responses, data output and data receipt of the modems 26 28 30 shown in Figure 2.

The memory 22 of the processor 20 also comprises a set of news item input filtering programs 40 that scrutinize a received item and determine veracity of aspects of its nature.

The memory 22 of the processor 20 also comprises a set of stored news item grade moderating programs 42 that use the grading or ranking given by each of plural contributors to determine the overall grade to b e given to an item.

The memory 22 of the processor 20 also comprises a user alerting program for alerting a user client 16 when an item in a subject in which the user has expressed interest and at a grading or ranking where the user wishes to be alerted is first received and allowed to progress to permanent storage.

The memory 22 of the processor 20 also comprises a set of housekeeping programs that keep track of clients 14 16 19 passwords and security checks, profiles, use dates and any bookkeeping that may be employed.

Although all of the programs are here described as being stored and applied within the network server 20, it is to be understood that the whole of or portions of each program can be performed within other elements, such as, but not restricted to, the supervising client 19.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 4, an exemplary screen display such as could be presented to a user client 16, and serves, in part, to assist in explaining the collection of news items that are key to the present invention.

Those skilled in the arte would be aware that the presented screen could be otherwise configured and organized.

A subject area screen portion 48 provides first visibility of subject area buttons use of each one of which causes a subject list screen portion 52 to display a scrollable subject list 54 listing all of the subjects 56 that have been submitted to the network server 12 in the selected category. Thus a user client 16 by clicking on a subject area button 50 and the on a selected subject 56 can bring up and view all of the items presented by news supplying clients 14 in the selected subject area.

In Figure 4, the subject area buttons 50 are numbered 1 to 8. In this example, the subject areas 50 relate to news of events that can relate to Global well being (or lack thereof), and include political, economic and medical matters.

The subject matters, in this example, are given in Table 1 below: Subject Area Subject designation 1 International Law and Humanitarian Affairs 2 Global Health 3 Global Science and Technology 4 Global Culture Global Resources 6 Global Economic and Social Policy 7 Global Peace and Security 8 Global Environment TABLE 1: Subject Categories Attention is next drawn to Figure 5 which illustrates an example of one of many ways in which submitted news items and their alert levels can be visually displayed, being a representation of data fields contained in the matrix memory otherwise illustrated in Figure 2.

An alert level bar 58 is provided whereon the alert level of submitted items is shown.

In this example, the subject area numerical designation represents an "alert level" whereby a user client 16 can learn the global governance significance placed upon a news item by the network server 12 systems, the alert levels being: 1. Great Governance -Global Sustainability Protected: indicating a very high benefit from quality of beneficial decision making, governance action taken or event that happened. Generally indicates a great beneficial improvement and is consolidation to World condition.

2. Good Governance-Global Sustainability Enhanced: indicating a good benefit from quality of decision taken, governance action taken of event that happened. Generally indicates some improvement to World condition.

3. Governance Wild Card -Global Sustainability Affected: indicating inability to say whether any benefit or dis-benefit accrues to the World from decision taken, governance action taken of event that happened. This is the "Who Knows?" or "too early to tell" alert level.

4. Dangerous Governance -Global Sustainability at great risk: indicating a degeneration of the condition of the World from the decision taken, governance action taken of event that happened. Generally indicates risk and 5. Fatal Governance -Global Sustainability Destroyed: indicating that the decision taken, governance action taken or event that happened is a backward step into possible darkness and chaos.

The alert levels are derived as described hereafter by means of an automatic transformation algorithm that transforms significance ratings, given by news submitters 14, into the alert levels as shown.

A subject matter bar 60, shown in Figure 5 only in part, lists each general subject 50A as indicated by the subject matter buttons 50 of Figure 4 with individual subjects 56A within the generals subject, as indicated by the subject items 56 in Figure 4.

News item entry rows 62 are provided for each individual subject 56A. The news entry rows 62 intersect with alert level columns 66 and individual news entries 64 are provided in their appropriate subject entry row 62 at its intersection with the alert column 64 representing the alert level allocated to the individual news item 64.

In each news entry row, there can be as few as no individual news entries 64 ranging up to an unlimited number of individual news entries 64. Although, for reasons of drawing space, Figure 5 shows only one individual news entry 64 for each news entry row 62 and alert level column 66, it is to be understood that as few an one and as many as an unlimited number of individual news entries 64 can be provided for each news entry row 62 and alert level columns 66.

Each individual news entry 64 contains the alert level allocated to it and its date of submission. In addition, each individual news entry contains at least one of: text material; video material; audio material; the significance rating (to be explained hereafter) that the submitter gave to the individual news item; and the place or places of any events.

Figure 5 is an example of just one way in which the data matrix held in the matrix memory 24 can be visually represented. Any way in which the data fields of Figure 5 can be represented is acceptable under the invention. The type of storages used in the matrix memory 24 can also be of any kind, and can range from space economical compacted gap database streams, right up to space hungry employment of predetermined allocated areas for storage of different items. Any method of storage that can store the data fields of Figure 5 is acceptable in the invention.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 6, illustrating, in tabular form, a first exemplary automatic transformation useable in a first embodiment of the invention to derive alert levels 66 from allocated significance levels. Figure 6 represents a portion of the item input filtering programs 40 of Figure 3 In the first embodiment table 68 as illustrated, a significance rating column 70 has, as entries, significance levels allocated to an individual news item 64 by the submitting client 14 user.

In the example given in this description of the invention, a news supplying client 14 is required to submit a significance rating 70 from +10 (the best governance there can be) to -10 (the worst governance there can be) depending upon the view of the individual or team supplying the individual news item 64. This is very much based upon the views of the submitting individual or team, and can vary between different submitting individuals and/or teams. It is thus necessary automatically to moderate extremities of significance ratings 70 to provide sensible alert levels 66 suitable for estimation of significance ratings to be employed in provision of alerts to user clients 16 when user client 16 selected criteria are met.

In the Figure 6 embodiment, a significance rating between of +10 to +7 is allocated an alert level 1, as shown in an alert level column 72, signifying "Great Governance", as indicated in an alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between +6 and +3 is allocated an alert level 2, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying "Good Governance", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between +2 and -2 is allocated an alert level 3, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying a "Governance wild card", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between -3 and -6 is allocated an alert level 4, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying "Dangerous Governance", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between -7 and -10 is allocated an alert level 5, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying "Fatal Governance", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. By the transformation shown in Figure 6, extremes of significance ratings are evened out, giving a more valued balanced assessed view of events to user clients 16.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 7 illustrating, in tabular form, a second exemplary automatic transformation useable in a second embodiment of the invention to derive alert levels from allocated significance levels. Figure 7 to represents another portion of the news item input filtering programs 40 of Figure 3. The table of Figure 7 is substantially similar to the table of Figure 6, and like numbers refer to like items.

In the Figure 7 embodiment, in a second embodiment table 76, a significance rating between of +10 to +6 is allocated an alert level 1, as shown in an alert level column 72, signifying "Great Governance", as indicated in an alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between +5 and +1 is allocated an alert level 2, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying "Good Governance", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating of 0 is allocated an alert level 3, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying a "Governance wild card", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between -1 and -5 is allocated an alert level 4, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying "Dangerous Governance", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74. A significance rating between -6 and -10 is allocated an alert level 5, as shown in the alert level column 72, signifying "Fatal Governance", as indicated in the alert descriptor column 74.

By the transformation shown in Figure 7, extremes of significance ratings are evened out, giving a more valued balanced assessed view of events to user clients 16. Compared with the Figure 6 example, the figure 7 embodiment lends a wider range of significance ratings resulting in an alert level of any of 1, 2, 4 and 5, and a smaller number, i.e. only the zero rating, of significance ratings leading to alert level 3. In this manner, only truly insignificant acts are not given an active alert rating other than alert level 3.

It is to be understood that other significance level ratings schemes can be used rather than the +10 to -10 news supplying client 14 allocations disclosed in relation to Figure 6 and 7. Within the invention a news supplying client 14 can provide as a significance rating any ordered alpha or numeric indication, with a first extreme indicating "very good" and a second extreme indication "very bad" for the network server 12 to perform a tabular transformation to alter levels as illustrated by the method of Figure 6 and Figure 7. It is also to be appreciated that, wishing the invention, more than or fewer than five alert levels can be provided and automatic transformation undertaken to the alert to level by a similar table method.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 8, a flow chart illustrating a further transformation whereby the system automatically can moderate the effect upon the alert level that individual news supplying clients 14 can cause.

Figure 8 represents yet another portion of the news item input filtering programs 40 of Figure 3.

From a start 78 a first operation 80 receives the next item, either as it is submitted individual news item 64 by a news submitting client 14 or as a result of a later scan, and a second operation 82 scans other items in the same individual subject 56A to determine if the next individual news item 64 refers to the same event as another earlier submitted individual news item 64.

In the second operation 82, checks to see is equivalence can be met between one, some or all of: correspondence in words between written matter; correspondence between names; correspondence between descriptions; date of event reported; place of event reported; time of day of event reported; and identity of news submitting client. In looking for equivalence, ranges of time and place values can be taken into consideration for the automatic check.

Those skilled in the art will be aware of many other ways that one reported individual news item can be deemed to be part of or related to another individual news item 64.

If a first test 84 finds no match between the next individual news item 64 and any other earlier individual news item 64, control passes back to the first operation where another next individual news item 46 can be received. If, however, the first test finds a match between the next individual news item 64 and any other individual news item 64 in the same individual subject 56A, a third operation 86 takes the significance rating given by the news supplying client 14 for the next individual news item 64 and adds to the sum of all of the significance ratings given by each of the news supplying clients 14 for all of the earlier individual news item 64 found to match the next individual news item 64. The grand total is then divided by the total number of matched events to find the average of all of significance ratings.

A fourth operation 88 then transforms the average of all the significance ratings to find an alert level, which may be higher of lower that a previously found mean alert level. In one variation, the average of all of the significance ratings is rounded up to determine the transformed mean alert level. In another variation, the average of all of the significance ratings is rounded down to determine the transformed mean alert level. In a third variation, the average of all of the significance ratings is rounded both up and down up to determine a possible range of transformed mean alert level.

A fifth operation 90 then outputs the transformed mean alert level of levels to the matrix memory 24, to be stored and made available for triggering alerts to user clients 16. By this action, user clients 16 can receive notification of individual news items 64 which otherwise would not have been notified to them.

The fifth operation then passes control back to the first operation where another next individual news item 64 can be received.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 9, a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method whereby an individual news item 64 can be assured of placement in the correct individual subject. This also represents a portion of the news item input filtering programs 40 shown in Figure 3.

From a start 92 a second test checks to see if an incoming individual news item 64 from a news supplying client 14 is available for download. If not, control stays with the second test 94. If an individual news item 64 is available, a sixth operation 96 downloads the incoming individual news item and notes which individual subject the individual news item 64 is intended to report. During provision of an individual news item 64, a news supplying client 14 is presented with a screen, such as or similar to that shown in Figure 4, where the news supplying client 14 selects both the General subject 50A and the particular subject 56A to which the individual news item 64 is believed to belong. If the news supplying client 14 does not know what to what subject area the individual news item 64 belongs, or knows that the subject area is new, or omits to make an entry, then the subject area selection is simply left blank.

A third test 98 checks to see if a subject area has been selected. If a subject area has not been selected, the third test 98 passes control to a seventh operation 100 which causes the incoming individual news item 64 to be passed to the supervising client 19, shown in Figure 1, where an administrator/moderator can allocate the news item to a correct subject area, or can create a new individual subject 56A for the individual news item 64, or can stop the individual news item from further processing and storage.

Subject area re-allocated individual news items 64 can be reintroduced into the second test 94 for a re-run. The seventh operation 100 passes control back to the second test 92 awaiting presentation of a fresh individual news item 64.

It the third test 98 finds that a subject area has been selected, an eighth operation 102 fetches, from storage, in the memory 22 or the matrix memory 24, textual elements such as but not limited to, words; word combinations; phrases; and symbols that should or could appear in text accompanying individual news item 64 in the selected subject area.

The textual items are collected from accompanying text items for individual other news items 64 in the same selected subject area 56. Other textual item lists can be used, such as, but not limited to, prepared lists.

A ninth operation 104 then scans the accompanying text and notes any matches between the textual elements and the accompanying text.

A fourth test 106 checks to see if more than a predetermined number of matches have been found by the ninth operation. Alternatively, the forth test 106 can check to see of more that a predetermined proportion of the textual elements have found a match.

Whichever way is used for the fourth test 106 to reach a decision, if the fourth test 106 finds that sufficient matches have been found, a tenth operation 108 saves the download of the individual news item 64 for use and/or any other processing and testing. The tenth operation 108 passes control back to the second test 92 awaiting presentation of a fresh individual news item 64.

If the fourth test 106 fails to find that sufficient matches have not been found, control is passed to the seventh operation 100 for the incoming individual news item 64 to be passed to the supervising client 19, shown in Figure 1, where an administrator/moderator can allocate the news item to a correct subject area, or can create a new individual subject 56A for the individual news item 64, or can stop the individual news item from further processing and storage.

Attention is next drawn to Figure 10, an exemplary flow chart illustrating how the network server can provide alert images to browsers and websites.

From a start 110 a fifth test 112 waits until a code download request is received from a code download requestor by accessing the network server site 12. Once a download request is received, an eleventh operation 114 interrogates the code download requestor to learn the code download requestor's preferences such as the general subjects 50, and/or selected subject areas 56 in which the code requestor is interested, as well as the alert levels which would be of interest.

The eleventh operation 114 also notes the website address to which the code is to be delivered.

The code, in this example, is different for each general subject 50, selected subject area 56 and alert level, in that it specifies one or more different display image sites on the network server 12 where the image or images to be displayed can be obtained. The images can be, but are not limited to; popup text and/or images: ticker tape style scrolling banners; and periodically changing images.

The code provides an insert for a website of a browser that calls up the appropriate network server 12 display image site or sites and the displays the displays image or images as the browser runs or the website is accessed and refreshed.

A twelfth operation 116 then downloads the requestor specified code to the download requestor site or browser. Control is then passed back to the fifth test 112 to wait for a further download request.

The specification of the display image or images is here specified to its most detailed possible degree. It is to be understood that much simpler details can be supplied by the download requestor and images can be of a much more widely cast and generic nature.

Attention is finally drawn to Figure 11, an exemplary flow chart illustrating how the network server, when a new news item is received, can provide alert messages to user agents and updated alert images to users who have made an alert image request.

From a start 118 a sixth test 120 waits for a new news item to be received.

When a new news item is received, a thirteenth operation 122 finds and notes the subject category, subject area and alert level of the newly provided individual news item entry 64.

A fourteenth operation 124 then send an alert message to all those user clients 16 who have expressed a wish to be altered when an individual news item 64 is received with an alert level equal to or above a specified alert level and in a general subject 50 and selected subject area 56 the same as the received news item 64 received by the network server 12. The alert massage can be sent using one, some or all (but not limited to) of: email: and a social network message such as a Twitter message.

A fifteenth operation 126 then changes all display images (provision of which was described in relation to Figure 10) that are in any way altered in consequence of the arrival of the latest individual news item 64. Automatically, all affected websites and browsers which contain the provided code now display an updated image or images without any change to the installed code.

The fifteenth operation 126 then returns control to the sixth test 120.

The invention has been described with reference to world governance. It is to be realised that different types of news items can be employed within the invention as claimed.

The invention has, here above, been described with eight general subjects. It is to be appreciated that more or fewer than eight general subjects 50 can be used within the invention as claimed.

The invention has also, here before, been describes as providing five alert levels 66. It is to be appreciated that more than or fewer than five alert levels 66 can be employed within the invention as claimed.

The invention has also, here before, been describes as providing twenty significance ratings 70. It is to be appreciated that more than or fewer than twenty significance ratings 70 can be employed within the invention as claimed.

The invention has hitherto been described as employing generally automatic decision processes. Those, skilled in the art, may see situations other than those described where matter can be submitted for adjudication input.

In the description given above, the terms "grading" and "ranking" are synonyms for the same process.

The invention is further defined by the appended claims provided here after.

Claims (1)

1. <claim-text>Claims.1. A system for receiving, grading or ranking and making available graded or ranked news reports, the system comprising: a networks server, operable to received and store submitted news items from one or more news supplying clients; one or more news supplying clients: and one or more user clients; where the network server is operable to receive and store a subject area with each submitted news item; the network server is operable to receive and store a significance level allocated to a submitted news item by the news supplying client submitting the news item; the network server is operable automatically to transform the significance level into an alert level: and the network server is operable to alert a user client when a news item in a user client selected subject area at or above a user client selected alert level is submitted and to supply the news item to the user client when requested.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. The system of Claim 1 wherein the network server is operable automatically to detect when a submitted news item in a selected subject area is for the same event as for one or more other submitted news items.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. The system of Claim 2 wherein the network server is operable automatically to use all allocated significance levels for the same event to transform the significance levels into an alert level for the event.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. The system of claim 3 wherein the network server is operable to average all allocated significance levels.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. The system of any of the preceding Claims wherein: the system comprises a supervising client operable to provided administrative adjudication; the network server is operable to analyse the content of a submitted news item to determine if the selected subject area is correct; and the network server is operable to send any news item that seems to be incorrectly categorized in the selected subject area to the supervising client; and the network server is operable to allocate the subject area of the submitted news tO item according to a decision provided to the network server from the supervising client.</claim-text> <claim-text>6. The system of Claim 5 wherein; the network server is operable to store and make accessible textual elements that are expected to be present in any text with a submitted news item in the selected subject area; the network server is operable to scan text accompanying a submitted news item in the selected subject area for a sufficiency of textual elements in the scanned text; and the network server is operable to deem a submitted news item as seeming to be incorrectly categorized if the sufficiency of textual elements is not found.</claim-text> <claim-text>7. The system of Claim 5 or Claim 6 wherein the scanned text is deemed to have a sufficiency of textual items when at least one of: more than a predetermined number of matches are found; and more that a predetermined proportion of the textual elements have found a match.</claim-text> <claim-text>8. The system of any of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the textual elements comprise at least one of: words; word combinations; phrases; and symbols that should or could appear in text accompanying a submitted news item in the selected subject area.</claim-text> <claim-text>9. The system according to any one of Claims 5 to 8 wherein; in the event of the subject area being incorrect, the supervising server is operable to allocate a new subject matter area to the submitted news item; and news supplying clients providing subsequently submitted news items are operable to select the new subject matter area.</claim-text> <claim-text>10. The system, according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: the network server is operable to provide a downloadable news display process for provision to a user facility; and the downloadable news display process is operable, when working with the user's facility, to refer back to the network server to receive displayable material for tO displaying on the user's facility.</claim-text> <claim-text>11. The system, according to Claim 10, wherein the users facility comprises at least one of: a user's website; and a user's browser; 12. The system of any of Claims 10 and 11, wherein the subject area and alert level of the displayable material is determined by user client selection.13. A method usable for receiving, grading or ranking and making available graded or ranked news reports, the method comprising: a step of a network server receiving and storing submitted news items from one or more news supplying clients; a step of the network server receiving and storing a subject area with each submitted news item; a step of the network server receiving and storing a significance level allocated to a submitted news item by a news supplying client submitting the news item; a step of the network server automatically to transforming the significance level into an alert level: a step of the network server alerting a user client when a news item in a user client selected subject area at or above a user client selected alert level is submitted; and a step of the network server supplying the news item to the user client when requested.14. The method of Claim 13, including a step of wherein the network server automatically detecting when a submitted news item in a selected subject area is for the same event as for one or more other submitted news items.15. The method of Claim 14 including the step of the network server using all allocated significance levels for the same event to transform the significance levels into an alert level for the event.16. The method of claim 15 including the step of the network server average all tO allocated significance levels.17. The method of any of Claims 13 to 16 including: a step of a supervising providing administrative adjudication; a step of the network server analysing the content of a submitted news item to determine if the selected subject area is correct; a step of the network server send any news item that seems to be incorrectly categorized in the selected subject area to the supervising client; and a step of the network server allocating the subject area of the submitted news item according to a decision provided to the network server from the supervising client.18. The method of Claim 17 including: a step of the network server storing and make accessible textual elements that are expected to be present in any text with a submitted news item in the selected subject area; a step of the network server scanning text accompanying a submitted news item in the selected subject area for a sufficiency of textual elements in the scanned text; and a step of the network server deeming a submitted news item as seeming to be incorrectly categorized if the sufficiency of textual elements is not found.19. The method of Claim 17 or Claim 18 wherein the scanned text is deemed to have a sufficiency of textual items when at least one of: more than a predetermined number of matches are found; and more that a predetermined proportion of the textual elements have found a match.20. The method of any of Claims 17 to 19 wherein the textual elements comprise at least one of: words; word combinations; phrases; and symbols that should or could appear in text accompanying a submitted news item in the selected subject area.21. The method of any of Claims 17 to 20 including: a step of, in the event of the subject area being incorrect, the supervising server tO allocating a new subject matter area to the submitted news item; and steps of news supplying clients providing subsequently submitted news items to select the new subject matter area.22. The method, according to any Claims 13 to 21, including: a step of the network server providing a downloadable news display process for provision to a user facility; and a step of the downloadable news display process, when working with the user's facility, referring back to the network server to receive displayable material for displaying on the user's facility.23. The method, according to Claim 22, wherein the users facility comprises at least one of: a user's website; and a user's browser; 24. The method of any of Claims 22 and 23, wherein the subject area and alert level of the displayable material is determined by user client selection.</claim-text>