Machine, Program Product, And Computer-Implemented Method For File Management And Storage

• US 20100131882A1
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Randall Reese
• Original Assignee: Randall Reese
• Inventors: Culotta, Keith, Reese, Randall
• Application Number:
  US12/620,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131882A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• 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 user is displayed an icon palette having a palette boundary and including icons representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the user, including, for example, predefined default categories of marriage, faith, family, children, school, travel, military, and health. The user can adjust a relative size of and control a location of the icon palette. The user can select an order and color of the icons. User action assigns an unsorted file to a category so that dragging and dropping a file across the palette boundary onto an icon assigns the file. The file and associated data are stored in a database, including on a remote server providing user access through an electronic communications network. The file and associated data can be temporarily stored in a database on a local user computer allowing user action during slow or interrupted communications with the server.

Claims

1. A file management machine to perform a process of displaying to a user an icon palette representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the user and a process of assigning one of a plurality of unsorted files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories through a user action, the file management machine comprising:

a database adapted to store a plurality of files;

a first computer configured as a file management server adapted to communicate with the database and to communicate through an electronic communications network with a plurality of second computers associated with a plurality of users and configured as user computers, each user computer being remote from the file management server, 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;

displaying the icon palette on the user computer, the icon palette having a palette boundary and including icons representing the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user,

assigning one of a plurality of unsorted files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories through the user action so that dragging and dropping one of the plurality of unsorted files across the palette boundary onto an icon on the icon palette assigns the file to one of the plurality of predetermined categories, and

storing the file and data associated with the file in the database, the database being remote from the user computer so that the user can access the file and associated data through an electronic communications network.

2. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of unsorted files includes digital photographs;

and wherein the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user includes one or more of the following;

predefined default categories, and user-defined categories.

3. A file management machine of claim 2, wherein the plurality of predefined default categories include three or more of the following:

marriage, faith, family, children, school, travel, military, and health.

4. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the database is a first database;

and wherein the operations further comprise storing temporarily the file and data associated with the file in a second database on the user computer so that the user can assign files and associate data with the file in the event of slow or interrupted communication with the remote file management server.

5. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise displaying an album of files using pre-selected formats, each file associated with the same predetermined category of the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user.

6. A file management machine of claim 1, wherein a relative size of the icon palette is adjustable by the user;

wherein a location of the icon palette on the user computer is controllable by the user; and

wherein an order and color of the icons on the icon palette are selectable by the user.

7. A computer program product, stored on a tangible computer memory media, operable on a computer, the computer program product comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of:

displaying an icon palette to a user, the icon palette having a palette boundary and including icons representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the user,

assigning one of a plurality of unsorted files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories through a user action so that dragging and dropping one of the plurality of unsorted files across the palette boundary onto an icon on the icon palette assigns the file to one of the plurality of predetermined categories, and

storing the file and data associated with the file in a database.

8. A computer program product of claim 7, wherein the plurality of unsorted files includes digital photographs;

and wherein the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user includes one or more of the following;

predefined default categories, and user-defined categories.

9. A computer program product of claim 8, wherein the plurality of predefined default categories include three or more of the following:

marriage, faith, family, children, school, travel, military, and health.

10. A computer program product of claim 7, wherein the operation of storing the file and data associated with the file in the database involves storing temporarily the file and data associated with the file in a first database local to the user, and then storing the file and data associated with the file in a second database, the second database remote from the user so that the user can assign files and associate data with the file in the event of slow or interrupted communication with the second database remote from the user.

11. A computer program product of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying an album of files using pre-selected formats, each file associated with the same predetermined category of the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user.

12. A computer program product of claim 7, wherein a relative size of the icon palette is adjustable by the user;

wherein a location of the icon palette on the user computer is controllable by the user; and

wherein an order and color of the icons on the icon palette are selectable by the user.

13. A computer-implemented method for causing a computer to perform a process of displaying to a user an icon palette representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the user and a process of assigning one of a plurality of unsorted files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories through a user action, the computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying the icon palette to the user, the icon palette having a palette boundary and including icons representing the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user,

assigning one of the plurality of unsorted files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories through the user action so that dragging and dropping one of the plurality of unsorted files across the palette boundary onto an icon on the icon palette assigns the file to one of the plurality of predetermined categories, and

storing the file and data associated with the file in a database.

14. A computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of unsorted files includes digital photographs;

and wherein the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user includes one or more of the following;

predefined default categories, and user-defined categories.

15. A computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of predefined default categories include three or more of the following:

marriage, faith, family, children, school, travel, military, and health.

16. A computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the step of storing the file and data associated with the file in the database involves storing temporarily the file and data associated with the file in a first database local to the user, and then storing the file and data associated with the file in a second database, the second database remote from the user so that the user can assign files and associate data with the file in the event of slow or interrupted communication with the second database remote from the user.

17. A computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying an album of files using pre-selected formats, each file associated with the same predetermined category of the plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in the life of the user.

18. A computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein a relative size of the icon palette is adjustable by the user.

19. A computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein a location of the icon palette on the user computer is controllable by the user.

20. A computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein an order and color of the icons on the icon palette are selectable by the user.