Method and apparatus for tracking and viewing changes on the web

• US 6,366,933 B1
• Filed: 10/27/1995
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ball, Thomas J., Douglis, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US08/549,359
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: 395/148, 395/772, 707/511, 707/501, 707/513, 707/203, 707/202, 707/204
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A system for accessing documents contained in a remote repository, which change in content from version-to-version. The system allows users to specify lists of documents of interest. Based on the lists, the system maintains an archive, which contains a copy of one version of each listed document, and material from which the other versions can be reconstructed. The system periodically compares the archive with current versions of the documents located in the repository, and updates the archive, thereby maintaining the ability to reconstruct current versions. The system also monitors access to the versions by each user. When a user calls for a current version, the system presents the current version, and indicates what parts of the current version have not been previously accessed by the user.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring changes in a document stored on the World Wide Web, comprising the steps of:

copying an original document selected by a user from the World Wide Web to create a copied document on a server separate from the World Wide Web and under independent control;

monitoring for changes in the original document;

archiving, on the separate server, the changes in the original document, as detected during such monitoring;

storing various versions of the original document on the separate server;

presenting to the user, in response to a request to access the original document, a current version of the original document as archived, and an option to compare selected versions, as archived.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

presenting to the user, an option to view a history of different versions of the original document.

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

recording the times when the user accesses each document.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing the current version of the original document as archived with the copied document.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

notifying the user, the changes in the original selected document since the user last accessed the document.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the user is notified upon a specific request by the user.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the user is notified simply by the user'"'"'s access to the selected document.

8. A method according to claim 5 wherein the user is notified by electronic mail message.

9. A method according to claim 4 wherein the documents that are compared for any changes are determined by default.

10. A method according to claim 4 wherein the documents that are compared for any changes are specified by the user.