Document conversion and network database system

• US 20050102293A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• 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 8,224,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 method for providing data to clients of multiple subscribers on a distributed computer network comprising the steps of:

(a) maintaining a main document database comprising text-containing documents for use by multiple subscribers;

(b) forming for each of the multiple unrelated subscribers a corresponding home document set comprising text-containing documents selected from the main document database;

(c) automatically modifying the text of at least some of the text-containing documents of each home document set so that the modified documents are different from the corresponding documents in the main database; and

(d) allowing access by clients of each subscriber to the modified documents of the subscriber'"'"'s corresponding home document set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying comprises including client-specific data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of including client specific data is added dynamically upon client-requested access.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying comprises including subscriber-specific data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of including practitioner-specific data is added dynamically upon client-requested access.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying comprises including both client specific data and subscriber-specific data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of including client specific data and subscriber-specific data is added dynamically upon client-requested access.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying comprises modifying all the selected documents of at least one of the home document sets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscribers are physicians and the clients are patients.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming comprises selecting documents from the main document database for inclusion in home document sets by areas of practice of the subscribers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the home document sets comprises including in plural home document sets some documents that are the same prior to modification.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the modifying comprises including client-specific and/or practitioner-specific data in documents being accessed.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of maintaining the main document database comprises receiving source document data from a source separate from the subscribers.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the main document database comprises documents not provided by any subscriber.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein subscribers are unrelated and are different entities.

12. A method for a practitioner to provide access to selected text containing documents on a distributed computer network to clients of the practitioner, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a home document set for storage in computer memory by identifying only a portion of documents maintained by a host in a main document database, the identified documents including text-containing documents;

(b) providing to clients a password to access the home document set of the practitioner;

(c) enabling accessing clients to select and receive documents of the home document set; and

(d) modifying the text of at least some of the identified documents prior to receipt thereof by the accessing clients so that the modified documents are different than the corresponding documents in the main document database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the modifying is added dynamically upon selection by an accessing client.

15. A system for providing data to clients of multiple practitioners on a distributed computer network, the system comprising:

(a) a primary computer having associated primary memory, the primary computer being programmed for receiving text data files from a provider and storing counterparts thereof in the primary memory;

(b) means for receiving, over the computer network, requests for inclusion of selected ones of the text data files in respective home document sets of the subscribers;

(c) the primary computer being programmed for permitting authorized clients of the subscribers to access and receive over the computer network the counterpart data files of the home document sets of associated subscribers;

(d) means for automatically modifying the text of at lest some of the data files prior to receipt thereof by the clients wherein the modified documents are different from the corresponding documents in the primary memory; and

(e) means for transmitting particular ones of the modified text data files over the computer network to requesting subscribers;

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the clients are of practitioners associated with particular ones of the subscribers, the system further comprising:

(a) means for receiving client-specific and/or practitioner-specific data over the computer network; and

(b) the means for modifying comprising the primary computer being programmed for including at least some of the client-specific and/or practitioner-specific data in transmissions of accessed data files to the clients.