System and method for supplying and updating information from one or more works to one or more remote user devices in a readily accessible form, and remote user device for use therein

• US 6,389,461 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WebMD LLC (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skyscape Incorporated (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Inventors: Shah, Sandeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/540,228
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/247
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

An information supply and update system includes abase subsystem and one or more remote user devices. The remote user devices are conveniently handheld devices such as personal digital assitants, cellular telephones, smart phones, paging devices and the like that can receive, store and process information that they receive from the base subsystem. The base subsystem is configured to receive structured information directed to one or more topics, each topic including one or more sections, compress the information topic by typic, and provide the compressed topic information to the remote user devices. The remote user devices are configured receive and store the compressed topic information from the base subsystem. A user'"'"'s remote user device is further configured to, in response to a request from a user identifying a particular section, enable the information from the section to be displayed on a display. The display is further configured to display section identification indicia, such as section buttons, which the user can actuate, with the user'"'"'s remote user device enabling the section associated with the actuated section button to be displayed, thereby allowing for easy navigation through the section. A user can also enter information into the remote user device which can be stored thereon and/or transmitted to the base subsystem for storage. The information provided by the base subsystem to a remote user device can be provided at the base station'"'"'s own instance, or at the request of the remote user device, and can include updates of previously-provided information as well as other information, including information retrieved over, for example, a network connected thereto as the result of a search.

Claims

1. An information supply system comprising a base subsystem and at least one remote user device:

A. the base subsystem being configured to receive a structured information work directed to a plurality of topics, each topic including a plurality of sections, the base subsystem being further configured to compress the information topic by topic, and provide the compressed topic information to the at least one remote user device;

B. the at least one remote user device being configured to

(i) receive and store the compressed topic information from the base subsystem,

(ii) in response to a request from a user to display information from a particular topic, display at least section selection information associated with the respective sections of the particular topic, and

(iii) in response to a request from the user to display information from one of the sections identified by the section selection information, enable the information from the requested section of the respective topic to be displayed on the display.

2. An information supply system as defined in claim 1 in which the display is further configured to display actuable section identification indicia, the at least one remote user device, in response to actuation of the section identification associated with one of said sections, enabling said section to be displayed.

3. An information supply system as defined in claim 2 in which the display includes a touch screen, and in which the section identification indicia includes a pushbutton.

4. An information supply system as defined in claim 1 in which the at least one remote user device includes a user input through which a user can also enter user information into the remote user device.

5. An information supply system as defined in claim 4 in which the at least one remote user device includes a local memory and a control module, the control module being configured to enable the user information to be stored in said local memory.

6. An information supply system as defined in claim 5 in which at least one item of user information is associated with one of said topics, the control module being configured to, in response to a user request, enabling the at least one user information item to be displayed in relation to said one of said topics.

7. An information supply system as defined in claim 4 in which the at least one remote user device includes an information transfer interface configured to transfer information to said base subsystem and a control module, the control module being configured to enable the information transfer interface to transfer the user information to the base station.

8. An information supply system as defined in claim 4 in which the remote user interface includes a control module configured to generate indicia representative of the user information.

9. An information supply system as defined in claim 8 in which the indicia includes a bar code.

10. An information supply system as defined in claim 4 in which the user information is in textual form, the user input comprising a keypad.

11. An information supply system as defined in claim 4 in which the user information is in voice form, the user input comprising a microphone.

12. An information supply system as defined in claim 1 in which the remote user device includes an interface and a control module, the control module being configured to enable selected information from at least one topic be transferred through the interface to an external destination.

13. An information supply system as defined in claim 12 in which the interface is configured to provide the selected information in at least one of a printer, facsimile, or Email format.

14. An information supply system as defined in claim 1 in which the base station is configured to generate, along with the compressed topic information associated with an information work, an index, and provide the index to the at least one remote user device.

15. An information supply system as defined in claim 14 in which the remote user device includes a control module configured to enable said display to display said index, the user using said index to enter said user request.

16. An information supply system as defined in claim 14 in which

A. the base subsystem is configured to receive a plurality of structured information works, each directed to one or more topics, each topic including one or more sections, the base subsystem being further configured to generate a respective index for each work, compress the information topic by typic, use the indices to provide cross-reference information associated with respective ones of said topics to associate them with other topics, and provide the compressed topic information, indices and cross-reference information to the at least one remote user device; and

B. the at least one remote user device being are configured receive and store the compressed topic information, indices and cross reference information from the base subsystem, and further configured to, in response to a request from a user identifying a particular section, enable the information from the section to be displayed on a display, the at least one remote user device further being configured to, in response to a user request, display cross-reference information associated with a respective topic and, in response to user selection of an item of said cross-reference information, enable topic information associated with the selected cross-reference information item to be displayed.

17. An information supply system as defined in claim 1 in which at least one topic includes permeable content, the remote user device further including a target program configured to, in response to a user request therefor, perform predetermined processing operations in connection with the permeable content.

18. An information supply system as defined in claim 17 in which said permeable content includes a mathematical equation, the target program being configured to solve the equation in relation to parameter values and perform predetermined operations in connection with the solution.

19. An information supply system as defined in claim 18 in which the parameter values are provided by the user.

20. An information supply system as defined in claim 18 in which the target program enables the solution to be displayed.

21. An information supply system as defined in claim 1 in which at least one topic is associated with a version identifier, the remote user device being configured to determine whether the base subsystem has available updated information for the at least one topic in relation to the version identifier.

22. An information supply system as defined in claim 21 in which the remote user device is further configured to, if it determines that the base subsystem has available updated information for the at least one topic, request that the updated information be provided thereto, the base subsystem being configured to, in response to an updated information provision request, provide the updated information to the remote user device.

23. A user device comprising:

A. an information store configured to store information, the information including at least one topic, the at least one topic including a plurality of sections, each section being associated with a section type;

B. a display configured to display indicia to a user, the display having two portions, including an information display portion and a navigation control portion;

C. a display control configured to enable information from the at least one topic to be displayed in said information display portion, and section selection indicia associated with the at least one topic to be displayed in said navigation control portion, the section selection information identifying respective sections of the at least one topic information for which is displayed in the information display portion; and

D. a user input receiver configured to receive user input selecting a section, section selection information for which is displayed in the navigation control portion, the user input receiver enabling the display control to, in turn, enable information from the selected section to be displayed in the information display portion.

24. A user device as defined in claim 23 in which the information store is configured to store information including a plurality of topics, at least some of said topics each including a plurality of sections, the display control being further configured to enable section selection information identifying respective sections associated with the one of said topics from which information is being displayed in the information display portion.

25. A user information device as defined in claim 23 in which the section selection indicia comprises at least one actuable selection button configured to be displayed in said navigation control portion, each selection button being associated with one of said sections.

26. A user information device as defined in claim 25 in which the display is a touch-sensitive display for which the user can actuate the at least one actuable selection button by touching the selection button.

27. A user device comprising:

A. an information store configured to store information, the information including at least two works, each work having at least one topic;

B. a display configured to display indicia to a user;

C. a display control configured to enable the display to display

(i) information from one of said topics of one of said works, or

(ii) cross-reference information associated with the one of said topics that is being displayed, said cross-reference information identifying at least one topic in said other work that is cross-referenced to the one of said topics that is being displayed;

D. a user input receiver configured to receive user input, the user input comprising

(i) cross-reference display enabling input indicia, in response to which the display control is configured to enables the display to display cross-reference information associated with the one of the topics that is being displayed, and

(ii) information display enabling input indicia, in response to which the display control is configured to enable the display to display information from said at least one topic in said other of said works.

28. A user device as defined in claim 27 in which the cross-reference information is in the form of a list, the list including at least one entry including a cross-reference to the at least one topic in said other of said works.

29. A user device as defined in claim 28 in which the list is a pop-up list displayed on said display.

30. A user device as defined in claim 27 in which said other of said works includes a plurality of topics, the display control being configured to,

A. enable the display to display, in the cross-reference information displayed by the display, identification of selected ones of the plurality of topics in each of a plurality of entries in a list; and

B. in response to user input received by said user input receiver comprising information display enabling input indicia identifying one of said entries, enable the display to display information from the at least one topic associated with the one of said plurality of topics identified in the identified one of said entries.

31. A user device as defined in claim 30 in which at least one of the topics in said other of said works includes a plurality of sections, the display control being configured to

A. enable the display to display, in the cross-reference information displayed by the display, identification of one of said sections in an associated entry;

and

B. in response to user input received by said user input receiver comprising information display enabling input indicia identifying said associated entry, enable the display to display information from the one of said sections.

32. A user device as defined in claim 27 in which

A. the information store being configured to store information including a plurality of works greater than two, each work having at least one topic;

B. the display control being configured to enable the display to display

(i) in the cross-reference information, identification of at least one topic from selected ones of a plurality of said works, and

(ii) in response to information display enabling input indicia received by said user input receiver identifying one of said topics, information from said identified one of said topics.