SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANNOTATING AND MANIPULATING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

• US 20140317488A1
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E-Z Brief, LLC
• Original Assignee: E-Z Brief, LLC
• Inventors: Lutz, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,994 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product allow a user to annotate and manipulate a plurality of electronic documents. The user loads a first electronic document comprising electronic content, which content may be annotated or otherwise manipulated by the user and which annotations are made using a user-defined indication means. The annotated content is outputted to a second electronic document, wherein the content is automatically organized into a corresponding grouping defined by a user-selected identifying aspect. The user may subsequently reorganize any of the outputted annotations within the second electronic document. The method, system, and computer program product further utilize a file browser within which a plurality of electronic documents may be organized and maintained by the user and a client-server protocol for communicating data between a remote database and a local storage medium.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for outputting and organizing user-annotated content from a first electronic document to a second electronic document, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving the first electronic document;

loading the first electronic document into a storage medium;

creating a new, document within the storage medium, the new document comprising the second electronic document which second electronic is capable of receiving content from the first electronic document;

allowing a user to produce at least one annotation onto the first electronic document using at least one indication means, which at least one indication means is selected by the user from a plurality of indication means;

outputting the at least one annotation from the first electronic document directly to the second electronic document to generate or add content to the second electronic document; and

organizing the at least one annotation outputted to the second electronic document within at least one grouping,

wherein the user may define the at least one indication means of the plurality of indication means to correspond to an identifying aspect, and

wherein each at least one grouping corresponds to at most one identifying aspect and each at least one grouping contains each at least one annotation corresponding to the identifying aspect corresponding thereto.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each at least one indication means has at most one identifying aspect corresponding thereto and each identifying aspect has at most one indication means corresponding thereto.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said allowing step further comprises the step of reproducing the at least one annotation from the first electronic document and said outputting step further comprises the step of outputting the reproduced at least one annotation to the second electronic document.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user may manipulate the at least one annotation within the second electronic document by moving the at least one annotation within a grouping of the at least one grouping or by moving the at least grouping from a first grouping of the at least one grouping to a second grouping of the at least one grouping.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electronic document and the second electronic document are stored within a file browser managed by the user, the file browser capable of storing a plurality of first electronic documents and a plurality of second electronic documents.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user may manipulate the first electronic document by at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing, which manipulation to the first electronic document remains unless the manipulation is removed from the first electronic document by the user.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user may assign identifiers to the second electronic document, which identifier corresponds to a name or other identifying information of the second electronic document.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one indication means comprises at least one of a highlight color and an orthographic convention.

9. A system for allowing a user to produce at least one annotation within a first electronic document and subsequently outputting said at least one annotation to a new electronic document capable of receiving content from said first electronic document, and organizing said at least one annotation into an identifying aspect within said new electronic document, said system comprising:

a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium storing said first electronic document and said new electronic document, said computer readable medium including a the browser stored thereon;

an input means, said input means allowing a user to manipulate said first electronic document and said new electronic document by producing said at least one annotation or by moving said at least one annotation, said input means further allowing the user to manipulate said file browser;

a processor, said processor recognizing said input means, said processor identifying said at least one annotation in said first electronic document, said processor relating said at least one annotation to said identifying aspect, said processor reproducing said at least one annotation in said new electronic document, said processor organizing said at least one annotation based on said identifying aspect; and

a display module, said display module displaying said first electronic document and said new electronic document, said display module displaying said file browser.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processor executes a document editor, said document editor loading said first electronic document onto said display module, said document editor creating said new electronic document within said computer readable medium, said new electronic document comprising a second electronic document, said document editor allowing the user to produce said at least one annotation, said at least one annotation encompassing at least a portion of said first electronic document, said document editor outputting said at least one annotation to be stored on said computer readable medium, said document editor allowing the user to manipulate said first electronic document by at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing, which manipulation to said first electronic document remains unless said manipulation is removed from said first electronic document by the user.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said processor thereafter executes a document organizer, said document organizer receiving as input said at least one annotation stored on said computer readable medium, said document organizer outputting said at least one annotation to said second electronic document to generate or add content to said second electronic document, said document organizer organizing said at least one annotation into at least one grouping of said second electronic document defined by said identifying aspect, said document organizer loading said second electronic document onto said display module, said document organizer allowing the user to further organize said at least one annotation as desired.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said file browser comprises at least one folder, said at least one folder capable of storing and organizing said first electronic document and said second electronic document on said computer readable medium, said file browser capable of storing a plurality of first electronic documents and a plurality of second electronic documents on said computer readable medium.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processor allows the user to define an indication means of a plurality of indication means, said indication means of said plurality of indication means graphically representing said at least one annotation within said first electronic document and said second electronic document.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said indication means comprises at least one of a highlight color and an orthographic convention.

15. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said system further comprises a client-server protocol, said client-server protocol having a client side and a server side, said server side comprising a remote database, said client side communicating with said server side to receive data from and store data within said remote database.

16. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory storage medium for outputting and organizing user-annotated content from a first electronic document to a second electronic document, said computer program product comprising a program module having instructions for:

receiving said first electronic document;

loading said first electronic document into said non-transitory storage medium;

creating a new document within said non-transitory storage medium, said new document comprising said second electronic document, which second electronic is capable of receiving content from said first electronic document;

allowing a user to produce at least one annotation onto said first electronic document using at least one indication means, which at least one indication means is selected by the user from a plurality of indication means;

outputting said at least one annotation from said first electronic document directly to said second electronic document to generate or add content to said second electronic document; and

organizing said at least one annotation outputted to said second electronic document within at least one grouping,

wherein the user may define said at least one indication means of said plurality of indication means to correspond to an identifying aspect, and

wherein each said at least one indication means has at most one said identifying aspect corresponding thereto and each said identifying aspect has at most one said at least one indication means corresponding thereto, and

wherein each said at least one grouping corresponds to at most one said identifying aspect and each said at least one grouping contains each said at least one annotation corresponding to said identifying aspect corresponding thereto.

17. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16, wherein said computer program product further comprises instructions for reproducing said at least one annotation from said first electronic document and outputting the reproduced said at least one annotation to said second electronic document.

18. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16, wherein said computer program product further comprises instructions for including a file browser on said non-transitory storage medium, said file browser comprising at least one folder, said at least one folder capable of storing and organizing said first electronic document and said second electronic document on said non-transitory storage medium, said file browser capable of storing a plurality of first electronic documents and a plurality of second electronic documents on said non-transitory storage medium.

19. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16, wherein said computer program product further comprises instructions for a client-server protocol, said client-server protocol having a client side and a server side, said server side comprising a remote database, said client side communicating with said server side to receive data from and store data within said remote database.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one indication means comprises at least one of a highlight color and an orthographic convention.