Enhanced electronic encyclopedia

• US 5,706,493 A
• Filed: 04/19/1995
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Charles Bradford Ii Sheppard
• Original Assignee: Charles Bradford Ii Sheppard
• Inventors: Sheppard, Charles Bradford II
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/424,217
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/650, 395/700, 395/161, 395/601, 395/602, 395/607, 395/608, 395/609, 395/610, 395/611, 395/612, 395/613, 395/615, 364/419.19
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/943 News
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An enhanced electronic encyclopedia is provided. The encyclopedia includes a database of articles stored in one or more memories. The database of articles includes base articles with article titles, article text and an objective rating. The database of articles also includes supplemental articles corresponding to base articles with a selected objective rating. Each supplemental article has an icon which identifies characteristics of the supplemental article. The encyclopedia also includes a processor, an input device and an output device. A method for creating an enhanced electronic encyclopedia is also provided.

Claims

1. An enhanced electronic encyclopedia for a user wherein relatively important or relatively popular articles are selected objectively for expansion with supplemental articles, said electronic encyclopedia comprising:

(A) a database stored in at least one memory, said database including;

(i) a plurality of base articles, each of said base articles having an assigned article identifier, an assigned article text and an assigned objective rating, wherein said objective rating is an objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity of the base article to which said objective rating is assigned as compared to other said base articles,

(ii) at least one supplemental article corresponding to selected base articles wherein said selected base articles have an assigned objective rating that is greater than a predetermined minimum objective rating, each said supplemental article having an assigned label identifying supplemental article characteristics;

(B) a processor connected to said memory for manipulating said database;

(C) an input device connected to said processor for receiving an article identifier selection and a supplemental article label selection from such user; and

(D) an output device connected to said processor for communicating to such user a base article and a supplemental article corresponding to said article identifier selection and to said supplemented aricle selected respectively.

2. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein said objective rating assigned to each of said base articles is an importance rating corresponding to the frequency with which the article identifier assigned to each of said base articles occurs in a selected sample of text.

3. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 2, wherein said importance rating corresponds to a number of times the article identifier assigned to each of said base articles occurs in said article text of said base articles.

4. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 2, wherein said importance rating corresponds to a number of said base articles having article text that mentions the article identifier assigned to said base article.

5. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein said objective rating assigned to each of said base articles is a popularity rating corresponding to the frequency with which the article identifier assigned to each of said base articles occurs in a literary sample.

6. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 5, wherein said literary sample includes popular literature.

7. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said supplemental articles includes a supplemental article text expanding upon corresponding base articles.

8. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said supplemental articles includes a supplemental article text citing an independent work.

9. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 8, wherein said encyclopedia provides user access to said independent work.

10. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein said supplemental article characteristics identified by said label include a supplemental article difficulty level and a supplemental article type.

11. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 10, wherein said supplemental article characteristics identified by said label further include a supplemental article author identification.

12. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein said memory comprises a read-only memory.

13. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein said input device is selected from a group consisting of a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone and a light pen.

14. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein said output device is selected from a group consisting of a display, a speech output and a printer.

15. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said base articles and at least a portion of said supplemental articles are stored in one said memory.

16. The enhanced electronic encyclopedia described in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said base articles and at least a portion of said supplemental articles are stored in different memories.

17. An enhanced electronic encyclopedia for a user, wherein relatively important or relatively popular articles are selected objectively for expansion with supplemental articles, said electronic encyclopedia comprising:

(A) a database stored in a storing means, said database including;

(i) a plurality of base articles each of said base articles having an assigned article identifier, an assigned article text and an assigned rating means, wherein said rating means is an objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity of the base article to which said rating means is assigned as compared to other said base articles, and wherein said rating means is derived from an occurrence of the corresponding article identifier in a literary sample,

(ii) at least one supplemental article corresponding to selected base articles wherein each of said selected base articles has an assigned rating means that is greater than a predetermined minimum objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity as defined by said rating means, each said supplemental article having an assigned means for identifying supplemental article characteristics including a supplemental article difficulty level and a supplemental article type;

(B) a manipulating means connected to said storing means for manipulating said database;

(C) a receiving means connected to said manipulating means for receiving from such user an article identifier selection and a supplemental article identifying means selection; and

(D) a communicating means connected to said manipulating means for communicating to such user a base article and a supplemental article corresponding to said article identifier selection and to said supplemental article identifying means selection, respectively.

18. A method for creating an enhanced electronic encyclopedia for a user, wherein relatively important or relatively popular articles are selected objectively for expansion, said electronic encyclopedia having a database with base articles and supplemental articles corresponding to those selected base articles having at least a predetermined minimum objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) forming said database by

(i) providing a plurality of base articles each of said base articles having an article identifier and an article text,

(ii) assigning an objective rating to each one of said base articles said objective rating being an objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity of said base article to which said objective rating is assigned as compared to other said base articles and said objective rating being derived from an occurrence of said article identifier in a literary sample,

(iii) selecting those base articles having at least a minimum objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity as defined by said objective rating,

(iv) providing at least one supplemental article for each one of said selected base articles, and

(v) assigning a supplemental article label to each said supplemental article;

(B) storing said database in a memory;

(C) connecting to said memory a processor for manipulating said database;

(D) connecting to said processor an input device for receiving from such user an article identifier selection and a supplemental article label selection; and

(E) connecting to said processor an output device for communicating to such user a base article and a supplemental article corresponding to said article identifier selection and said supplemental article label selection, respectively.

19. The method described in claim 18, wherein said step of assigning an objective rating to each one of said base articles includes the substeps of

(A) determining a frequency that the article identifier corresponding to each said base article occurs in said base articles;

and

(B) assigning an objective rating to said base article according to said frequency.

20. A method for creating an electronic encyclopedia for a user, wherein relatively important or relatively popular articles are selected objectively for expansion, said electronic encyclopedia having a database comprising base articles and supplemental articles corresponding to those selected base articles that have at least a predetermined minimum objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) forming said database by

(i) providing a plurality Of base articles, each of said base articles having an article identifier and an article text,

(ii) determining an occurrence of each said article identifier in a literary sample,

(iii) assigning an objective rating to each one of said base articles, said objective rating being an objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity of said base article to which said objective rating is assigned as compared to other said base articles, and said objective rating being derived from said occurrence of said article identifier in said literary sample,

(iv) selecting those base articles having at least a minimum objective measure of relative importance or relative popularity as defined by said objective rating,

(v) providing at least one supplemental article for each one of said selected base articles, and

(vi) assigning a supplemental article label to each said supplemental article;

(B) storing said database in a storage means;

(C) connecting to said storage means a processor means for manipulating said database;

(D) connecting to said processor means an input means for receiving from such user an article identifier selection or a supplemental article label selection; and

(E) connecting to said processor means an output means for communicating to such user a base article or a supplemental article corresponding to said article identifier selection or said supplemental article label selection, respectively.

21. The method described in claim 20, wherein said steps of determining an occurrence of each said article identifier and assigning an objective rating to each one of said base articles includes the sub-steps of

(A) determining a frequency that the article identifier corresponding to said base article occurs in said base articles;

and

(B) assigning an objective rating to said base article according to said frequency.