Method for handling changing and disappearing online references to research information

• US 20060064394A1
• Filed: 09/17/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Application Number:
  US10/944,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064394A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/382 using citations hypermedia G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for preserving an association between electronic documents are provided. In one embodiment of the invention, an electronic document is stored at a storage media address, the electronic document containing a citation, the citation containing a link to a network address of a remotely located electronic document. A copy of the remotely located electronic document is stored, and the electronic document is associated with the copy. A request is received for the remotely located electronic document, and an attempt to access the remotely located electronic document is made. If the remotely located electronic document cannot be accessed, a copy of the remotely located electronic document is returned.

Claims

1. A method of preserving an association between electronic documents, comprising:

storing an electronic document at a storage media address, the electronic document containing a citation, the citation containing a link to a network address of a remotely located electronic document;

storing a copy of the remotely located electronic document;

associating the electronic document and the copy;

receiving a request for the remotely located electronic document;

attempting to access the remotely located electronic document; and

if the remotely located electronic document cannot be accessed, returning the copy of the remotely located electronic document.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the copy is encrypted.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the copy is stored in a single archiving document with the electronic document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the copy is stored at a storage media address and the association comprises a link in the electronic document to the storage media address of the copy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the association and the copy are preserved as long as the electronic document exists.

6. The method of claim 1, after storing a copy of the remotely located electronic document, further comprising:

specifying an event;

determining whether the event has occurred;

if so, determining whether the copy is different from the remotely located electronic document; and

if so, displaying a change notification.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the change notification contains a comparison of the copy and the second copy.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the event is an opening of the electronic document.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the event is a periodically scheduled event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document is a research document.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the association is created by an author of the electronic document.

12. A computer-readable medium containing a program which, when executed, performs an operation, comprising:

storing an electronic document at a storage media address, the electronic document containing a citation, the citation containing a link to a network address of a remotely located electronic document;

storing a copy of the remotely located electronic document;

associating the electronic document and the copy;

receiving a request for the remotely located electronic document;

attempting to access the remotely located electronic document; and

if the remotely located electronic document cannot be accessed, returning the copy of the remotely located electronic document.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the copy is encrypted.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the copy is stored in a single archiving document with the electronic document.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the copy is stored at a storage media address and the association comprises a link in the electronic document to the storage media address of the copy.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, after storing a copy of the remotely located electronic document, further comprising:

specifying an event;

determining whether the event has occurred;

if so, determining whether the copy is different from remotely located document; and

if so, displaying a change notification.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the change notification contains a comparison of the copy and the second copy.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the event is an opening of the electronic document.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the event is a periodically scheduled event.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the electronic document is a research document.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the association is created by an author of the electronic document.

22. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a network connection device; and

a storage media containing a copy of an electronic document remotely located at a network address, a local electronic document which contains a pointer to the remotely located electronic document, the copy being associated with the local electronic document, and a program, the program when executed by the processor performing the steps comprising;

receiving a request for the remotely located electronic document;

determining whether the remotely located electronic document is unavailable or changed by querying the remotely located electronic document across the network connection device;

if the remotely located document is unavailable, returning the copy of the remotely located electronic document; and

if the remotely located electronic document is changed, displaying a change notification.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the copy is encrypted.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the copy is stored in a single archiving document with the local electronic document.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the copy is stored at a storage media address and the association comprises a link in the electronic document to the storage media address of the copy.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the change notification contains a comparison of the copy and the remotely located electronic document.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the program determines if the remotely located electronic document is changed each time the local electronic document is opened.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the program determines if the remotely located electronic document is changed on a periodic basis.

29. A method for displaying change notifications for a remotely located electronic document cited in an electronic document;

generating data corresponding to a first version of the remotely located electronic document;

storing the data corresponding to the first version of the remotely located electronic document;

specifying an event;

determining whether the event has occurred;

if so,

generating data corresponding to a second version of the remotely located electronic document;

determining whether the data corresponding to the first version of the remotely located electronic document is different from the data corresponding to the second version of the remotely located electronic document; and

if so, displaying a change notification.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the electronic document is a research document.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the event is an opening of the electronic document.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the event is a periodically scheduled event.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein the data corresponding to the first version of the remotely located electronic document is a first hashcode and the data corresponding to the second version of the remotely located electronic document is a second hashcode.

34. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

comparing the first version of the remotely located electronic document to the second version of the remotely located document;

generating a value indicative of a difference between the first version of the remotely located document and the second version of the remotely located document; and

displaying the value indicative of the difference.