Method and apparatus for providing a reminder service

Abstract

A method of processing a request for a reminder to be sent to a user, comprising: (a) receiving, at a first node in a distributed network, a request for a reminder to be sent to the user on a specified occasion; and then (b) sending a derivative of the reminder to a second node in the said network. The derivative may be a replica or a fragment of the reminder. In the first case, the method preferably further comprises: (c) sending the reminder to the user from the first node on the specified occasion; and (d) sending a cancellation signal to the second node to instruct it not to send a reminder to the user. In the second case, the method preferably further comprises: (c) sending a fragment from the second node to the first node; (d) using the fragment to reconstruct the reminder; and (e) sending the reminder to the user on the specified occasion; or alternatively: (c) sending a fragment from the second node to the first node; (d) sending the fragment to the user on the specified occasion; and (e) using the fragment to reconstruct the reminder. Also provided by the invention is a node in a distributed network, the node being operable to receive a request for a reminder to be sent to a user on a specified occasion, and to send a derivative of the reminder to a second node in the said network.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.