Shareability utility

• US 20060069701A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles S O'Rourke III
• Original Assignee: Charles S O'Rourke III
• Inventors: O'Rourke, Charles S. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536

Abstract

A shareable utility that provides quality information to users in a given subject area. The utility maintains a quality database of information on the subject area on a local computing device. The quality database has links to objects of interest residing on the Internet and on the local device. All of the information in the quality database has been recommended for inclusion by an expert in the field. The present utility provides for dual searching of the local computing device and the Internet. A primary screen with multiple secondary windows is used as the starting point. The primary screen is designed to provide structure and direction to the search, but may also be customized to include a user/predefined template representing a broad level of interest. Subsequent display screens are used to display more detailed levels of interest in the given subject area. The present utility is well suited for applications in education, and knowledge transfer applications (e.g. specific code routines, best practices, lessons learned, etc.). The present utility architecture is highly adaptable, reusable and supports searches of all kinds (e.g. financial statements 2004, branch info, etc.). By aggregating expert knowledge (of “where” to look), other vendors search capabilities and the digitized resources available, one can leverage this utility to maximum advantage.

Claims

1. A computer program capable of being executed on a local computing device, wherein the program includes a quality database and allows a user to perform a dual search of the local computing device and the Internet, the program being designed to produce a small number of useful results rather than large numbers of loosely related results, the computer program comprising:

a communications module that provides a transfer of digital information to and from the Internet;

the quality database that includes links to quality information on a given subject area wherein, the quality information has been recommended for inclusion in the database by an expert in a field, and wherein the links and quality information include the experts'"'"' own suggestions and publications, as well as related website addresses, text files, image files, HTML documents and multimedia files recommended by the experts;

a graphical user interface module that provides a primary screen and multiple secondary screens to the user, wherein the primary screen presents at least two types of links to the user that provide structure and direction for an initial search in the subject area, and a first secondary screen that presents hits to the user based on a selection made by the user in the primary screen, wherein the multiple secondary screens are capable of accepting input from the user and performing a further in-depth search, wherein in response to the selection made by the user in the primary screen, the interface module causes a dual search of the local computing device and the Internet to be performed; and

,

an operating system that controls communications between the graphical user interface module, the communications module and the quality database.

2. The program of claim 1, wherein the primary screen includes multiple windows, and wherein a first window displays a first type of hyperlinks and a second window displays a second type of hyperlinks to the user.

3. The program of claim 1, wherein the multiple secondary screens include multiple windows, including a search input window for accepting input from the user.

4. The program of claim 2, wherein the first type of hyperlinks includes keywords and specific topics within the subject area, and the second type of hyperlinks includes pictures, illustrations and related subjects.

5. The program of claim 1, further comprising more than one quality database, wherein the user interface displays a list of the more than one quality databases for the user'"'"'s selection.

6. The program of claim 3, wherein the search input window accepts input from the user in the form of key words, including document title, author, chapter titles, and related key words.

7. The program of claim 1, wherein the operating system is an open standards operating system.

8. The program of claim 1, wherein when the user clicks on a link to a website, the website is displayed in a secondary screen, and all functions of the website are available to the user just as if the user had accessed the website directly from a traditional browser program.

9. The program of claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary screens include a same capabilities of traditional browser programs, including controlling a size of the screens, scroll bars and at least one menu bar with multiple functions.

10. The program of claim 1, wherein the database includes a source field for recording a source of the provided information.

11. The program of claim 1, wherein the local computing device is connected to a network and the program is accessed and executed on a remote digital device including, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a palm computer and a cellular telephone.

12. The program of claim 1, wherein the program is stored on a server and executed on a remote digital device including, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a palm computer and a cellular telephone.

13. The program of claim 1, wherein the primary screen includes a pre-defined template that displays hyperlinks in the form of words, images and concepts, the words, images and concepts defining a broad level of interest in one or more subject areas, and wherein when the user selects one of the hyperlinks, a secondary screen presents a more detailed level of interest on a selected subject area to the user.

14. The program of claim 1, wherein secondary screens that are presented to the user subsequent to the first secondary screen provide even more detailed levels of interest on the selected subject area.

15. The program of claim 13, wherein the pre-defined template is associated with a group of users and each user in the group has access to all secondary screens previously viewed by users in the group.

16. The program of claim 15, wherein the selected subject area of the template is a subject area that is of interest to each user in the group, including a common project.