System and method for the management of distributed personalized information

• US 20060090066A1
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kptools Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kptools Incorporated
• Inventors: Schnitzer, Dana Louis, Maze, Gary Robin
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/367 Ontology
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The present invention comprises a system and method useful for organization of information adapted for use in a computer system. Information stored on a local or remote data store may be organized and, hence, retrieved, by providing access to raw data to a computer system user, providing a user interface on the computer being used by the computer system user, allowing a description of the raw data to be captured in a user searchable database accessible to the computer system user, and allowing the computer system user to use the user interface to selectively retrieve raw data using the description captured in the database. The raw data can be stored locally to the computer being used by the computer system user, remotely, e.g. via the Internet, or both.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving stored information, comprising:

a. a computer comprising a local data store, the local data store comprising a first plurality of stored information;

b. a remote data store comprising a second plurality of stored information;

C. a communications network adapted to provide access from the computer to the remote data store over the data communications network;

d. a searchable database accessible to the computer, the database further comprising;

1. a hierarchical user definable taxonomy table comprising at least one record, the at least one record further comprising a key field; and

2. an authority table comprising at least one record, the at least one record further comprising;

(1) a key field for relating the record in the authority table to a record in the user definable taxonomy table; and

(2) a filed comprising a description of a predetermined number of the first and second pluralities of stored information, each description comprising a link to a related one of the predetermined number of the local and non-local pluralities of stored information sufficient to retrieve that related local or non-local stored information; and

e. software executable in the computer, the software comprising a user interface and adapted to;

1. simultaneously associate a predetermined record in the authority table to a plurality of entries in the taxonomy table using the key fields; and

2. retrieve the descriptions of the local and non-local authorities based on a single user query.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored information comprises at least one of (i) a text data file, (ii) a graphics data file, (iii) an audio data file, (iv) a video data file, (v) a Universal Resource Locator associated with data, or (vi) a link to a data file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a. the communications network is a wide area network; and

b. the database is at least one of (i) a database residing solely at a single computer or (ii) a database distributed among a plurality of computers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of stored information comprises stored information located on at least one of (i) a data store directly connected to the computer or (ii) a data store directly connected to a local area network to which the computer is connected.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the software further comprises at least one of (i) an Internet browser user interface, (ii) an Internet browser-like user front end interface, or (iii) an interface integrated into an Internet browser.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the software resides at a first computer and a second portion of the software resides at a second computer in communication with the first computer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first computer comprises at least one of (i) a desktop computer, (ii) a laptop, or (iii) a personal digital assistant.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a programmatic interface adapted to allow access to the first portion of the software from an unrelated software application, wherein:

a. the programmatic interface is adapted to provide access to the stored information via the first portion of the software;

b. the unrelated software application interfaces with the first portion of software via the programmatic interface; and

c. a user of the unrelated software application utilizes the unrelated software application to access predetermined functions within the first portion of the software.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the unrelated software application comprises at least one of (i) an operating system, (ii) a word processor, (iii) a work flow processor, (iv) a project planner, or (v) a case manger.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined functions comprise at least one of (i) conducting searches, (ii) manipulating documents, or (iii) gathering other data related to the stored information.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

a. providing a summary table in the database;

b. creation by the computer system user of a summary of the raw data;

c. storing the summary of the raw data in the summary table;

d. programmatically linking the stored summary in the summary table to a predetermined record in the authority table comprising the description of the raw data.

11. A method of organizing information regarding raw data stored on a local or remote data store, comprising:

a. providing access to raw data to a computer system user, the raw data comprising at least one of (i) a text data file, (ii) a graphics data file, (iii) an audio data file, (iv) a video data file, (v) a universal resource locator (URL) associated with the raw data, or (vi) a link to a data file associated with raw data, the raw data further being stored at least one of (i) locally to a computer being used by the computer system user or (ii) remotely from the computer being used by the computer system user;

b. providing software comprising a user interface on the computer being used by the computer system user;

c. allowing a description of the raw data to be captured in an authority table associated with a user searchable database accessible to the computer system user; and

d. allowing the computer system user to use a single list of descriptions captured in the database from the user interface to selectively retrieve raw data from the raw data stored locally or remotely.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein allowing the computer system user to use the user interface to selectively retrieve raw data using the description captured in the database further comprises:

a. inputting, by the user, of a user-desired characteristic of the raw data into a search routine executing within the computer using the user interface;

b. searching the searchable database for a description of the raw data that satisfies the user-desired characteristic;

c. retrieving each description that satisfies the searched for desired characteristic, irrespective of the location of the raw data;

d. displaying a single list result of the searching; and

e. retrieving the raw data upon selection by the user of a displayed result associated with that raw data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising installing a first portion of the software at a first computer and a second portion of the software at a second computer.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising allowing the user to create a taxonomy entry in a taxonomy table relatable to the authority table when the user associates a description of the raw data with one or more entries in the taxonomy table.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

a. setting a threshold value; and

b. limiting the retrieval of descriptions of the stored information satisfying the searched for desired characteristic to those possessing at least that threshold value.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

a. saving the input desired characteristic and the retrieved descriptions;

b. allowing recall of the saved desired characteristic and the retrieved descriptions; and

c. providing access to the raw data using the retrieved descriptions.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the software is further adapted to associate a predetermined description in the searchable database concurrently with a plurality of entries in a taxonomy database table in a single step, the taxonomy database table comprising user defined taxonomy entries.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer system user creates a predetermined portion of the description of the raw data to be captured in the authority table.