Document conversion and network database system

• US 20020004806A1
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Published: 01/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Health Informatics Inc. (MedLink International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Health Informatics International, Inc.
• Inventors: Christian, Charles R., Murga, Mario C., Bennett, Derrick K., Myers, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,839,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/523
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A network database system wherein clients of subscribing entities are authorized network access to reliable documents that are identified by each entity as being relevant to clients of that entity. Features that can be included in the system are customization of the documents to reflect sourcing by particular subscribers, automated formatting of the documents for storing in a network database, client access facilitated by subscriber-maintained databases, and the avoidance of cookies remaining on clients'"'"' computer hard drives following document access. Also disclosed is a method for processing repeated data requests on a distributed computer database.

Claims

1. A system for converting tagged documents and facilitating network access and navigation of the documents by subscribers'"'"' clients, at least some of the documents being tagged with a first tag code for delimiting a predefined portions of the documents, the system comprising:

(a) a primary computer including;

(i) a word processor having a program macro facility;

(ii) means for receiving source text files;

(iii) means for transmitting converted files to a computer network for access by remote computers; and

(iv) a macro program for directing the word processor to substitute at least a first navigation code for the first tag code;

(b) a network server computer for receiving the converted files, the server computer including;

(i) a hardware interface for communicating with the computer network;

(ii) computer software for activating the hardware interface and including a protected login module;

(c) means for enabling the network to process user requests for selected portions of the converted files based on the first navigation code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the macro program is implemented for inserting variable placeholders in the converted files, and wherein the server computer further includes a user database, and a text page compilation module, the compilation module scanning requested pages of the converted files and replacing the placeholders with selected elements of the user database for transmission in the requested pages.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each user request is accompanied with an authorization code, the server computer further including means for comparing at least a portion of the authorization code with elements of the user database, the selected elements of the user database uniquely identifying the user.

4. A method for processing repeated data requests on a distributed computer database wherein the requests are made from users database browsers that transmit authorization data from a header portion of each browser, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating an authorization code in a network computer; and

(b) transmitting the authorization code from the network computer to the header portion of the user'"'"'s browser.