Information delivery system and method including restriction processing

Abstract

The electronic distribution of research documents over the world wide web or other network to investors. A repository server receives research documents from contributors. A restriction subsystem server is selectively coupled to the contributor workstation. The restriction subsystem server which includes manages and stores 'restriction' and 'review' information of companies, relative to contributors. A contributor identifies (via electronic communication or otherwise) to the restriction subsystem server a 'restriction' and/or 'review' status of a company relative to the contributor. A particular company may be identified as 'RESTRICTED' if the contributor has a current banking or financial interest in the company. Additionally, a company may be identified as 'UNDER REVIEW' if the contributor believes its opinion about the company may change based on a news event. Moreover, a company may be identified as 'UNDER EXTENDED REVIEW,' if, for example, the contributor is not presently 'covering' that company. Each time the repository server is queried for a list of reports or documents (i.e., document titles or headlines), the repository server determines whether to provide a particular title to the viewer workstation (via a viewer server or web server) to the user based on the restriction status of the contributor of the document relative to the restriction status of the company or companies associated with the document.