Interactive system for authoring hypertext document collections
First Claim
1. Apparatus for interactively developing a hypertext information display system comprising, in combination:
- retrieval means for accessing a plurality of hypertext records, each of said records containing displayable information and at least some of said records containing one or more links to enable said retrieval means to access others of said records,output means for displaying a selected one of said records for review by a user,means for responding to activation by said user of a particular link contained in said displayed record by accepting from said user an action value indicating the nature of an action to be performed when said particular link is activated during the operation of said information display system, andmeans for storing a control item consisting of data identifying said particular link and said action value for said particular link.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A network based hypertext display system employing a supervisory computer interconnected with one or more information display units and one or more remote document servers via a network, such as the Internet. The supervisory computer controls the content displayed by the display units by transferring to each unit a control information file as well as hypertext document files which are locally stored in the display units. The control file determines the extent to which the display unit can access remotely stored information and provides additional information which is used to alter the presentation to the user. Stored control information is used to rewrite hypertext document such that certain links are disabled, and to suppress the appearance of visual cues associated with the displayed anchor which identifies selected links in the referencing document. Links and other information in local and remotely accessed documents are rewritten in accordance with commands created by a content developer using an interactive content authoring system. Means are employed for controlling the duration of a given user session in response to the material selected for display, the time of day, and user demographics. Locally stored data copied from original documents stored on remote servers is periodically validated and updated when the validation indicates that the original has been modified.
-
Citations
28 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for interactively developing a hypertext information display system comprising, in combination:
-
retrieval means for accessing a plurality of hypertext records, each of said records containing displayable information and at least some of said records containing one or more links to enable said retrieval means to access others of said records, output means for displaying a selected one of said records for review by a user, means for responding to activation by said user of a particular link contained in said displayed record by accepting from said user an action value indicating the nature of an action to be performed when said particular link is activated during the operation of said information display system, and means for storing a control item consisting of data identifying said particular link and said action value for said particular link. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. Apparatus for interactively developing a hypertext information display system comprising, in combination:
-
retrieval means for accessing a plurality of hypertext records, each of said records containing displayable information and at least some of said records containing one or more links to enable said retrieval means to access others of said records, output means for displaying a selected one of said records for review by a user, means for responding to activation by said user of a particular link contained in said displayed record by accepting from said user an action value indicating the nature of an action to be performed when said particular link is activated during the operation of said information display system, means responsive to acceptance of said action value for storing a first control item consisting of data identifying said particular link and said action value for said particular link, means for accepting from said user the identification of a unit of displayable information displayed in said displayed record, means for accepting from said user the identification of external information to be inserted into said displayed record at a location dependent upon the location of said unit of displayable information when said displayed record is accessed for display by said information display system, and means for storing a second control item consisting of said identification of said unit of displayable information and said identification of said external information for use in inserting said external information when said displayed record is accessed for display by said information display system. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. Apparatus for interactively developing a hypertext information display system comprising, in combination:
-
retrieval means for accessing a plurality of hypertext records, each of said records containing displayable information and at least some of said records containing one or more links identifying others of said records, output means for displaying a selected one of said records for review by a user, means for searching said displayed record for links contained in said displayed record, means responsive to the detection of a particular link in said displayed record for issuing a request to a user for the entry of an action value indicating the nature of an action to be performed when said particular link is activated during the operation of said information display system, means for accepting said action value from said user, and means for storing a control item consisting of data identifying said particular link and said action value for said particular link for use when one of said hypertext records containing said particular link is accessed for display by said information display system. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. Apparatus for interactively developing a hypertext information display system comprising, in combination:
-
retrieval means for accessing a plurality of hypertext records, each of said records containing displayable information and at least some of said records containing one or more links to enable said retrieval means to access others of said records, output means for displaying a selected one of said records for review by a user, means for responding to activation by said user of a particular link contained in said displayed record by accepting from said user an action value indicating the nature of an action to be performed when said particular link is activated during the operation of said information display system, means responsive to said action value for storing a control item consisting of data identifying said particular link and said action value for said particular link, said action value being used to rewrite said particular link when a record containing said particular link is accessed for display by said information display system. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
-
Specification