Apparatus and method for creating and using documents in a distributed computing network

• US 20050246283A1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trintuition LLC
• Original Assignee: Trintuition LLC
• Inventors: Gwiazda, Ronald E., Goldstein, Jonah, Sanchez, Spencer S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An authoring application for allowing users to create, control and distribute electronic content including a canvas interface for constructing a project of the electronic content from a plurality of resource files, the canvas interface having: a canvas area for constructing screen elements of the selected resource files to create screens; a path area for illustrating a relationship among the screens of the project; and a properties area for adjusting characteristics of the selected screen elements, a reader interface for allowing the users to view the project, the reader interface being accessible from the canvas interface and a resource interface for managing groups, membership in groups, and user accounts, said groups and user accounts having varying levels of control over the project.

Claims

1. An authoring application for allowing users to create, control and distribute electronic content comprising:

a canvas interface for constructing a project of the electronic content from a plurality of resource files, the canvas interface having;

a canvas area for constructing screen elements of the selected resource files to create screens;

a path area for illustrating a relationship among the screens of the project; and

a properties area for adjusting characteristics of the selected screen elements;

a reader interface for allowing the users to view the project, the reader interface being accessible from the canvas interface; and

a resource interface for managing groups, membership in groups, and user accounts, said groups and user accounts having varying levels of control over the project.

2. An authoring application as recited in claim 1, further comprising a calendar interface for supporting distribution and return of resources and projects through calendar entries and for chronological planning and group management.

3. A method for creating and using documents for distribution in an academic network, the method comprising the steps of:

constructing a plurality of projects in a canvas interface, the projects having a plurality of electronic pages selected from a resource interface;

setting aesthetic properties for the plurality of electronic pages in a property interface;

linking each electronic page within a project to at least one other electronic page by using a path interface;

assigning a moniker to each project; and

filtering the projects by moniker.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the electronic pages are word processing documents, spreadsheet documents, database files, Web pages, portable data files.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of locking at least one element across generations of users.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of selecting multiple projects for sharing among multiply-selected users.

7. A method for creating and using documents in a distributed computing network having a server and a plurality of clients, the method comprising the steps of:

downloading an uploader to the plurality of clients;

constructing a project in a canvas interface, the project having a plurality of electronic pages, the pages being constructed of screen elements selected from resource files, wherein the uploader reassembles the resource files to a height and width appropriate for a browser associated with the clients and to a file type as necessary;

linking each electronic page within a project to at least one other electronic page by using a path interface; and

storing the project on the server.

8. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer to perform a method for controlling distribution of electronic content in a distributed computing network, wherein the distributed computing network includes a plurality of clients in communication with the computer, the computer having a digital signal processor and a program with functions for invocation by performing the steps of:

defining permissions with respect to electronic content;

distributing the electronic content to a firs group of users based upon the permissions, such first group of users being able to further constrict the permissions; and

distributing the electronic content with the further constricted permissions to a second group of users that cannot modify the permissions.

9. A server for generating a digital community, wherein the server communicates with clients via a distributed computing network, and wherein the server comprises:

(a) a memory storing an instruction set and data representing content; and

(b) a processor for running the instruction set, the processor being in communication with the memory and the distributed computing network, wherein the processor is operative to;

(i) present a canvas interface for constructing the electronic content from a plurality of documents, the canvas interface having a canvas area for viewing a selected document and a discussion area for displaying information related to the selected document; and

(ii) accept input to the discussion area from a plurality of users associated with the clients such that the plurality of users form the digital community within the distributed computing network.

10. A server as recited in claim 9, wherein the processor is further operative to define a group of users that can edit the information displayed in the discussion area.

11. A server as recited in claim 9, wherein data in the discussion area is selected from the group consisting of an image, text, a video and audio.