Automated delivery of alerts with confirmation of receipt

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for delivering information as alerts. Alerts may be sent to one or more destinations at one or more times, with possible destinations including, e.g., one or more dedicated software clients, portable wireless devices, and/or email accounts, among many other possibilities. The sender may receive confirmation of, and/or may keep persistent records of, among several possibilities, transmission of one or more of the alerts, receipt of one or more of the alerts by devices at their respective destinations, and/or presentation of the alert to the intended recipient. According to an embodiment of the invention, an alert may be used to delivery medical information, which may include an urgent result of a medical test that has been performed on a patient.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of transmitting an alert from a computer system participating in a data network with a plurality of clients and configured to communicate via the data network with a plurality of destinations, the computer system comprising at least one processor, a memory operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, the method comprising:
 storing information that associates a recipient individually with at least a first destination, a second destination, and a third destination, the first destination being a first client and the third destination not being a client;   transmitting via the data network, to the first destination, first information that comprises an alert;   effectively simultaneously with transmitting the first information to the first client, transmitting to the second destination second information that comprises the alert;   receiving via the data network third information indicating that the first client has executed instructions to cause the first client to present the alert visually, on an electronic display directly coupled to the first client, at a first time, wherein the third information includes the first time and does not indicate whether the first client has received user input acknowledging receipt of the alert; and   in response to receiving the third information, storing in the computer-readable storage medium a record that the first information was presented by the first client, the record comprising the first time.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 waiting a predetermined time, immediately following transmission of the first information, during which no information is received indicating acknowledgement by the recipient of receipt of the alert from at least one of the first destination and the second destination; and   consequent to elapsing of the predetermined time, transmitting via the data network, to a destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination, fourth information associated with the alert.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the fourth information indicates that the alert has not been acknowledged within the predetermined time. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination is the third destination. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the third destination is a computer system associated with a call center. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the fourth information comprises the alert. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination is a computer system associated with a call center. 
     
     
         8 . A computer system for transmitting alerts, comprising:
 one or more processors;   a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to at least one of the processors; and   a memory, operatively coupled to at least one of the processors;   wherein the computer system is configured to participate in a data network with a plurality of clients and to communicate via the data network with a plurality of destinations; and   wherein the memory contains instructions that, when executed by at least one of the processors, causes the computer system to carry out a method that comprises:
 storing information that associates a recipient individually with at least a first destination, a second destination, and a third destination, the first destination being a first client and the third destination not being a client; 
 transmitting via the data network, to the first destination, first information that comprises an alert; 
 effectively simultaneously with transmitting the first information to the first client, transmitting to the second destination second information that comprises the alert; 
 receiving via the data network third information indicating that the first client has executed instructions to cause the first client to present the alert visually, on an electronic display directly coupled to the first client, at a first time, wherein the third information includes the first time and does not indicate whether the first client has received user input acknowledging receipt of the alert; and 
 in response to receiving the third information, storing in the computer-readable storage medium a record that the first information was presented by the first client, the record comprising the first time. 
   
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 8 , wherein the method comprises:
 waiting a predetermined time, immediately following transmission of the first information, during which no information is received indicating acknowledgement by the recipient of receipt of the alert from at least one of the first destination and the second destination; and   consequent to elapsing of the predetermined time, transmitting via the data network, to a destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination, fourth information associated with the alert.   
     
     
         10 . The computer system of  claim 9 , wherein the fourth information indicates that the alert has not been acknowledged within the predetermined time. 
     
     
         11 . The computer system of  claim 9 , wherein the destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination is the third destination. 
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the third destination is a computer system associated with a call center. 
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 9 , wherein the fourth information comprises the alert. 
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 9 , wherein the destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination is a computer system associated with a call center. 
     
     
         15 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor comprised by a computer system that participates in a data network with a plurality of clients, is configured to communicate via the data network with a plurality of destinations, and comprises a memory operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, causes the computer system to carry out a method that comprises:
 storing information that associates a recipient individually with at least a first destination, a second destination, and a third destination, the first destination being a first client and the third destination not being a client;   transmitting via the data network, to the first destination, first information that comprises an alert;   effectively simultaneously with transmitting the first information to the first client, transmitting to the second destination second information that comprises the alert;   receiving via the data network third information indicating that the first client has executed instructions to cause the first client to present the alert visually, on an electronic display directly coupled to the first client, at a first time, wherein the third information includes the first time and does not indicate whether the first client has received user input acknowledging receipt of the alert; and   in response to receiving the third information, storing in the computer-readable storage medium a record that the first information was presented by the first client, the record comprising the first time.   
     
     
         16 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the method comprises:
 waiting a predetermined time, immediately following transmission of the first information, during which no information is received indicating acknowledgement by the recipient of receipt of the alert from at least one of the first destination and the second destination; and   consequent to elapsing of the predetermined time, transmitting via the data network, to a destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination, fourth information associated with the alert.   
     
     
         17 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the fourth information indicates that the alert has not been acknowledged within the predetermined time. 
     
     
         18 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination is the third destination. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 18 , wherein the third destination is a computer system associated with a call center. 
     
     
         20 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the fourth information comprises the alert. 
     
     
         21 . The at least one computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the destination that is neither the first destination nor the second destination is a computer system associated with a call center.