Machine, Program Product, And Computer-Implemented Method For File Management, Storage, And Access Utilizing A User-Selected Trigger Event

• US 20100131574A1
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Randall Reese
• Original Assignee: Randall Reese
• Inventors: Culotta, Keith, Reese, Randall
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/812
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/287 Visualization; Browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/08 Sorting, i.e. grouping record carriers in numerical or other ordered sequence according to the classification of at least some of the information they carry by merging two or more sets of carriers in ordered sequence G06F7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A database stores a plurality of files assigned by a user to a plurality of categories representing notable events in a life of the user. The database can also store individual journal entries associated with the files. The user is prompted through a questionnaire to select a trigger event, for example, a death of the user, for making publicly available a file of the plurality of files and to approve terms of a legal document so that the user can designate a portion of the plurality of files, and optionally associated journal entries, to be made publicly available after the trigger event. Then third parties can be provided access the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event. A recipient entity, established for acquiring rights to the files, may determine conditions, including payment, for such access.

Claims

1. A file management machine to perform a process of storing a plurality of files associated with a user of a plurality of users and a process of providing access to third parties to a designated portion of the plurality of files after a user-selected trigger event, the file management machine comprising:

at least one database adapted to store the plurality of files;

a first computer configured as a file management server, the file management server adapted to communicate with a plurality of second computers associated with the plurality of users and configured as user computers through an electronic communications network and adapted to communicate with the at least one database, the file management server having at least a processor and a tangible memory; and

a computer program product operable on the file management server and stored in the memory, the computer program product comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the file management server, cause the file management server to perform the operations of;

storing in the at least one database the plurality of files, the plurality of files assigned by the user to a plurality of categories representing notable events in a life of the user,

relating in the at least one database a portion of the plurality of files to a legal document responsive to the user being prompted through a questionnaire displayed on the user computer to select a trigger event for making publicly available the designated portion of the plurality of files and to approve terms of the legal document so that the user can designate the portion of the plurality of files to be made publicly available after the selected trigger event, and

providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event.

2. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing access to the user to the plurality of files through the electronic communications network,

storing in the at least one database a master journal associated with the user, the master journal comprising individual journal entries by the user, each journal entry associated with one or more files of the plurality of files,

verifying a death of the user through one or more of the following;

a published obituary, a death certificate, and a contact list supplied by the user through the questionnaire, and

creating a journal entry for the user recording the death of the user;

wherein the operation of relating in the at least one database the portion of the plurality of files to the legal document further includes relating journal entries associated with the portion of the plurality of files to the legal document; and

wherein the operation of providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event further includes providing access to third parties to one or more journal entries associated the one or more files.

3. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the user-selected trigger event includes a calendar event.

4. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the user-selected trigger event includes a death of the user.

5. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the user-selected trigger event includes a time period after the death of the user.

6. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include joint ownership with right of survival.

7. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include a trust.

8. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include a perpetual license.

9. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include an assignment of copyright ownership.

10. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include a dedication to the public domain.

11. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the operation of providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event is further responsive to conditions determined by a receipt entity, the recipient entity established to acquire rights to the designated portion of the plurality of files as defined in the user-approved terms of the legal document, the conditions including payment by one or more of the third parties to the recipient entity.

12. A computer program product operable on a computer and stored in a tangible computer memory, the computer program product comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform a process of storing a plurality of files associated with a user and a process of providing access to third parties to a designated portion of the plurality of files after a user-selected trigger event, the computer program product performing the operations of:

storing in at least one database the plurality of files associated with the user, the plurality of files assigned by the user to a plurality of categories representing notable events in a life of the user;

relating in the at least one database a portion of the plurality of files to a legal document responsive to the user being prompted through a questionnaire displayed to the user to select a trigger event for making publicly available the designated portion of the plurality of files and to approve terms of the legal document so that the user can designate the portion of the plurality of files to be made publicly available after the selected trigger event; and

providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event.

13. A computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing access to the user to the plurality of files through an electronic communications network,

storing in the at least one database a master journal associated with the user, the master journal comprising individual journal entries by the user, each journal entry associated with one or more files of the plurality of files,

verifying a death of the user through one or more of the following;

a published obituary, a death certificate, and a contact list supplied by the user through the questionnaire, and

creating a journal entry for the user recording the death of the user;

wherein the operation of relating in the at least one database a portion of the plurality of files to the legal document further includes relating journal entries associated with the portion of the plurality of files to the legal document; and

wherein the operation of providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event further includes providing access to third parties to one or more journal entries associated the one or more files.

14. A computer program product of claim 12, wherein the user-selected trigger event includes one or more of the following:

a calendar event, a death of the user, and a time period after the death of the user.

15. A computer program product of claim 12, wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include one or more of the following:

joint ownership with right of survival, a trust, a perpetual license, an assignment of copyright ownership, and a dedication to the public domain.

16. A computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operation of providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event is further responsive to conditions determined by a receipt entity, the recipient entity established to acquire rights to the designated portion of the plurality of files as defined in the user-approved terms of the legal document, the conditions including payment by one or more of the third parties to the recipient entity.

17. A computer-implemented method for causing a computer configured as a file management server to perform a process of storing a plurality of files associated with a user and a process of providing access to third parties to a designated portion of the plurality of files after a user-selected trigger event, the computer-implemented method comprising:

storing in at least one database the plurality of files, the plurality of files assigned by the user to a plurality of categories representing notable events in a life of the user;

relating in the at least one database the designated portion of the plurality of files to a legal document responsive to the user being prompted through a questionnaire displayed to the user to select the trigger event for making publicly available the designated portion of the plurality of files and to approve terms of the legal document so that the user can designate the portion of the plurality of files to be made publicly available after the selected trigger event; and

providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event.

18. A computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing access to the user to the plurality of files through an electronic communications network,

storing in the at least one database a master journal associated with the user, the master journal comprising individual journal entries by the user, each journal entry associated with one or more files of the plurality of files,

verifying a death of the user through one or more of the following;

a published obituary, a death certificate, and a contact list supplied by the user through the questionnaire, and

creating a journal entry for the user recording the death of the user;

wherein the step of relating in the at least one database the designated portion of the plurality of files to the legal document further includes relating journal entries associated with the portion of the plurality of files to the legal document; and

wherein the step of providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event further includes providing access to third parties to one or more journal entries associated the one or more files.

19. A computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the user-selected trigger event includes one or more of the following:

a calendar event, a death of the user, and a time period after the death of the user; and

wherein user-approved terms of the legal document include one or more of the following;

joint ownership with right of survival, a trust, a perpetual license, an assignment of copyright ownership, and a dedication to the public domain.

20. A computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing access to third parties to one or more files within the designated portion of the plurality of files after and responsive to the user-selected trigger event is further responsive to conditions determined by a receipt entity, the recipient entity established to acquire rights to the designated portion of the plurality of files as defined in the user-approved terms of the legal document, the conditions including payment by one or more of the third parties to the recipient entity.