Intelligent information dissemination

Abstract

The invention is suitable for any kind of distributed networks having different data rates on different connections and a centralized computer system wherein the data to distribute is created. The central system comprises one or more supersets of data that is to be distributed to client computers by extracting subsets of data from the superset/s of data. Thereafter the subsets of data are distributed to selected groups of clients based on information about the network architecture. In this way an efficient way of distributing data is executed and no duplicated data is distributed. Preferably the subsets are distributed to clients based on a counter performance or a data rate of a client's connection to the central computer system.

1 . A computer system for sending data sets to a plurality of clients via a network, the computer system comprising:
 a memory comprising a superset of sorted data elements,   an extractor associated with the memory for extracting, from the superset of sorted data, a first subset of data elements and a second subset of data elements, the second subset being different from the first subset,   a selector associated with the memory for selecting a first and a second group of clients, the second group of clients being a subset of the first group of clients, and   a communicator associated with the extractor and selector, for sending the first subset to the first group of selected clients, and for sending the second subset to the second group of selected clients.   
   
   
       2 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the selector selects a group of clients based on at least one of the following:
 a data rate of a client's connection to the network,   a subscription associated to a client.   
   
   
       3 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the superset of sorted data elements comprises data relating to at least one of the following data:
 market by order data,   market by level data/market by price data.   
   
   
       4 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the data elements in the subsets of data comprises at least one of the following:
 data structured as delta-changes of at least a part of the data elements of at least a part of the superset,   data structured as the data elements of at least a part of the superset.   
   
   
       5 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises an area, accessible by the selector for storing subscriptions associated with clients. 
   
   
       6 . A computer system according to  claim 5 , wherein the subscription associated with a client is based on at least one of the following:
 the data rate of the connection to the client,   a counter performance from the client, and   client rights.   
   
   
       7 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the extractor, extracts a subset of data elements from the superset of sorted data elements upon at least one of the following events:
 a change in the superset,   at certain time intervals decided by a holdback timer, and by use of the communicator, sending the subsets to selected group of clients.   
   
   
       8 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a comparator associated with the memory, for detecting at least one location of a change in the superset of sorted data elements, and based on the location sending a subset associated with the location to clients subscribing for the subset. 
   
   
       9 . A computer system according to  claim 8 , wherein the subset comprises an additional data element if the change was a deletion of a data element in the superset. 
   
   
       10 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises a second superset of sorted data elements, the data elements in the second superset comprises one or more of the data elements from the first superset. 
   
   
       11 . An electronic exchange comprising the computer system according  claim 1 . 
   
   
       12 . A method implemented on a computer system for sending data sets to a plurality of clients via a network, the method comprising the steps of:
 extracting from a superset of sorted data elements, a first subset and a second subset, the second subset being different from the first subset,   selecting a first and a second group of clients, the second group of clients being a sub set of the first group of clients, and   sending, the first subset to the first group of selected clients, and sending the second subset to the second group of selected clients.   
   
   
       13 . A method according to  claim 12 , further comprising the step of selecting groups of clients, based on at least one of the following input:
 a data rate of a clients connection to the network,   a subscription associated to a client.   
   
   
       14 . A method according to  claim 12 , further comprising the step of arranging the data in the subsets according to at least one of the following arrangements:
 data structured as delta-changes of at least a part of the data elements of at least a part of the superset,   data structured as the data elements of at least a part of the superset.   
   
   
       15 . A method according to  claim 13 , the method further comprises the step of associating the subscription with a selected client based on at least one of the following input:
 the data rate of the connection to the client,   a counter performance from the client, and   client rights.   
   
   
       16 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein the extracting step, extracts the subsets from the superset of data elements upon at least one of the following events:
 a change in the superset,   at certain time intervals decided by a holdback timer, and by use of the communicator, sending the subsets to selected group of clients.   
   
   
       17 . A method according to  claim 12 , further comprising the following step:
 detecting at least one location of a change in the superset, and based on the location sending a subset associated with the location to clients subscribing for the subset.   
   
   
       18 . A method according to  claim 17 , further comprising the following step:
 adding an additional data element to the subset being sent to the selected client if the change was a deletion of a data element in the superset.   
   
   
       19 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein the subsets of data comprises data relating to at least one of the following data:
 market by order data,   market by level data/market by price data.   
   
   
       20 . A client computer for management of sorted data elements, the client computer comprising:
 an interface for receiving an update message, the update message comprising data relating to sorted data elements,   a memory comprising a set of sorted data elements and for storing the data relating to sorted data elements,   a display for displaying a number of the sorted data elements,   a message handler for managing the set of sorted data elements based on the data in the update message.   
   
   
       21 . A client computer according to  claim 20 , the client computer further comprising a management module for executing implicit operations on the stored set of sorted data elements based on the data in the update message. 
   
   
       22 . A client computer according to  claim 21 , wherein the implicit operations relates to at least one of the following operations:
 push operation,   pop operation,   delete operation.   
   
   
       23 . A client computer according to  claim 20 , wherein the data in the update message is chosen from the group of data comprising:
 add data, for adding a new data element,   remove data, for removing a data element, and   change data, for changing a data element.   
   
   
       24 . A computer program product according to  claim 12 , the computer program product being stored on a data carrier.