System, software and apparatus for organizing, storing and retrieving information from a computer database
First Claim
1. An information organization, storage and retrieval system comprising:
- a computer;
a memory storage device operably connected to said computer and having stored therein a plurality of virtual file folders that are labeled with different identifiers and contain at least one item of information;
an input device operably connected to said computer;
an output device operably connected to said computer;
means for locating said virtual file folders in a three dimensional address structure having an X-axis with a plurality of first descriptors, a Y-axis with a plurality of second descriptors and a Z-axis with a plurality of third descriptors;
each of said virtual file folders being classified into one of said first descriptors, one of said second descriptors and one of said third descriptors; and
said one of said first descriptors, said one of said second descriptors and said one of said third descriptors being attributes of said at least one item of information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A Method and System and Apparatus for the organization, storage and retrieval of information from both computer databases and from hard copy files. The system uses a three dimensional graphical interface that aids the user in visualizing the virtual three dimensional organizational scheme of the invention. Each orthogonal face of the Filecube Virtual File Cabinet graphical interface is intended to represent different ways of organizing individual files. For instance, one face of the Filecube could represent the time based phases of a file, another face of the Filecube could represent different types of files and a third face of the Filecube could represent different categories of files. Each computer based and hard copy file contains identifier fields that identify each item of information associated with an individual file, whether it may be found in a computer database or in a hard copy file and a brief summary identifying the contents of each item of information.
293 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An information organization, storage and retrieval system comprising:
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a computer;
a memory storage device operably connected to said computer and having stored therein a plurality of virtual file folders that are labeled with different identifiers and contain at least one item of information;
an input device operably connected to said computer;
an output device operably connected to said computer;
means for locating said virtual file folders in a three dimensional address structure having an X-axis with a plurality of first descriptors, a Y-axis with a plurality of second descriptors and a Z-axis with a plurality of third descriptors;
each of said virtual file folders being classified into one of said first descriptors, one of said second descriptors and one of said third descriptors; and
said one of said first descriptors, said one of said second descriptors and said one of said third descriptors being attributes of said at least one item of information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
each of said hardcopy file folders having a corresponding virtual file folder with an identical identifier.
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4. The system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of first descriptors includes different time based file descriptors;
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said plurality of second descriptors includes different file type descriptors; and
said plurality of third descriptors includes different file category descriptors.
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5. The system of claim 4 wherein said time based file descriptors include initiation file folders, live file folders, archived file folders and discarded file folders;
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said file type descriptors include reference information file folders, issue file folders, project file folders and ongoing file folders.
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6. The system of claim 1 wherein said first descriptors are time based and sequentially coupled to the colors blue, green, yellow and red.
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7. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for locating includes means for retrieving different groups of said virtual file folders that share at least one of said first descriptors, said second descriptors and said third descriptors in common.
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8. The system of claim 1 wherein said identifiers are alpha-numeric and include a plurality of sequential numbers.
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9. A method of organizing information to facilitate storage and retrieval comprising the steps of:
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placing a new item of information into a virtual file folder;
labeling said virtual file folder with an identifier;
classifying said virtual file folder with a first descriptor, which is one of a plurality of first descriptors, and said first descriptor being an attribute of said new item of information;
classifying said virtual file folder with a second descriptor, which is one of a plurality of second descriptors, and said second descriptor being an attribute of said new item of information;
classifying said virtual file folder with a third descriptor, which is one of a plurality of third descriptors, and said third descriptor being an attribute of said new item of information;
locating said virtual file folder in a three dimensional address structure having an X-axis with said plurality of first descriptors, a Y-axis with said plurality of second descriptors and a Z-axis with said plurality of third descriptors. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
retrieving existing virtual file folders in a virtual box corresponding to said first descriptor, said second descriptor and said third descriptor;
determining whether said new item of information belongs in one of said existing virtual file folders;
if not, then creating a new virtual file folder for said new item of information.
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12. The method of claim 9 including the steps of:
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preparing first virtual binders for said plurality of first descriptors that contain lists of virtual file folders classified into each of said first descriptors;
preparing second virtual binders for said plurality of second descriptors that contain lists of virtual file folders classified into each of said second descriptors; and
preparing third virtual binders for said plurality of third descriptors that contain lists of virtual file folders classified into each of said first descriptors.
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13. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:
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merging a plurality of different three dimensional address structures into a single grouped three dimensional address structure; and
assigning each of said plurality of different three dimensional address structures to a different entity.
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14. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:
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retrieving an existing virtual file folder; and
relocating said existing virtual file folder into a different virtual box by changing at least one of its said first descriptor, its said second descriptor and its said third descriptor.
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15. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of:
attaching at least one searchable keyword to each virtual file folder which relates to items of information contained in said virtual file.
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16. A computer program stored in a memory executable by a processor for organizing, storing and retrieving information, comprising:
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means for creating a three dimensional address structure having an X-axis with a plurality of first descriptors, a Y-axis with a plurality of second descriptors and a Z-axis with a plurality of third descriptors;
means for locating virtual file folders in said three dimensional address structure at least in part by classifying each of said virtual file folders with one of said first descriptors, one of said second descriptors and one of said third descriptors;
means for placing an item of information into one of said virtual file folders, and said one of said first descriptors, said one of said second descriptors and said one of said third descriptors being attributes of said item of information; and
means for retrieving said virtual file folders. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
means for retrieving a group of virtual file folders that have a keyword that matches a keyword query.
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19. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising a means for displaying a representation of said three dimensional address structure in which each combination of one of said first descriptors, one of said second descriptors and one of said third descriptors is depicted as a different box in a cubical structure.
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20. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising a means for displaying a file count for a group of file folders having a particular combination of said first descriptors, said second descriptors and said third descriptors.
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21. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising means for assigning each of a plurality of different three dimensional address structures to a different entity;
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means for merging said plurality of different three dimensional address structures into a single grouped three dimensional address structure.
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Specification