Method of delivering formatted documents over a communications network

• US 6,591,289 B1
• Filed: 07/27/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taylor Communications, Inc (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Standard Register Company (Middleby Corporation)
• Inventors: Britton, Larry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V.
• Application Number:
  US09/361,506
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 345/744, 707/4, 707/7, 707/9, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/200
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method of delivering a formatted document over a communications network, providing a client computer connected to the network and providing a server computer connected to the network such that the client computer is in data communication with the server computer. The client computer includes a browser program operating thereon and the server computer is provided with an information server program operating thereon. A template file is provided in data communication with the information server program of the server computer and includes a programming script, upon initiation of which the document is created having information of a pre-selected category arranged thereon according to a pre-determined layout thereof. The information is received from a data source and arranged on the document according to the pre-determined layout. The document is then formatted with the information arranged thereon according to the pre-determined pattern in a pre-selected file format and delivered to the client computer via the network.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a formatted document over a communications network, comprising the steps of:

providing a client computer connected to said network, said client computer having a browser program operating thereon;

providing a server computer connected to said network such that said client computer is in data communication with said server computer, said server computer having a web server program;

providing a template file accessible by said web server program of said server computer, said template file including a programming script;

initiating said programming script to create said document having information of a pre-selected category arranged thereon according to a pre-determined layout thereof;

receiving said information from a data source;

arranging said information according to said pre-determined layout;

executing said script to format said information arranged according to said pre-determined layout in a pre-selected file format, wherein said pre-selected file format comprises a format other than hypertext markup language format; and

,

delivering said document in said preselected file format to said client computer via said network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving data from said data source includes the step of said client computer sending said information to said server computer web server program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving data from said data source includes the steps of:

providing a database having said information stored therein as addressable records thereof; and

,

said database sending said information to said server computer web server program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of delivering said document to said client computer includes the steps of;

saving said document on said server computer,

providing a link to said document stored on said server computer, said link being displayed on said browser program of said client computer; and

,

selecting said link to initiate said step of delivering said document to said client computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said programming script initiates said steps of receiving said information from said data source, arranging said information on said document according to said predetermined layout and delivering said document to said client computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of executing said script to format said document in said pre-selected file format includes the step of selecting a portable document format as said pre-selected file format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing a template file includes the step of assigning an “

.asp”

filename extension to said template file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of initiating said template file includes the step of providing a script interpreter on said web server program of said server computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said script interpreter is Microsoft Active Server Pages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said web server program is Microsoft Internet Information Server.

11. A method of electronically delivering a formatted document comprising the steps of:

providing a server computer connected a network;

providing a client computer having a browser operating thereon, said client computer connected to said network and in data communication with said server computer;

providing a template file accessible by said server computer, said template file including a programming script;

issuing a request from said browser to said server computer to create a document configured to be accessed and viewed in a manner other than as a web page, said document including information of a pre-selected category arranged according to a pre-determined layout based upon said template file;

querying a data source for said information of said pre-selected category;

organizing said information according to said pre-determined layout thereof;

executing said script to format said document automatically into a file format other than hypertext markup language; and

,

delivering said document in said file format other than hypertext markup language to said client computer via said network.

12. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 11, wherein said document is formatted into a portable document format file.

13. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 11, wherein said script is coded as part of an Active Server Page.

14. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 11, wherein said script is coded as a Common Gateway Interface script.

15. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 11, wherein delivering said document to said client computer comprises:

saving said document on said server computer;

providing a link to said document stored on said server computer to said client computer;

selecting said link to initiate said step of electronically transferring said document to said client computer; and

,

storing said document on said client computer.

16. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 11, wherein said document is delivered to said client computer by attaching said document to an email and emailing said document to said client computer.

17. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 11, wherein said document is delivered to said client computer by storing said document of said server computer, and allowing said client computer to transfer said document to said client computer using a file transfer protocol.

18. A method of electronically delivering a formatted document comprising the steps of:

providing a server computer connected a network;

providing a client computer connected to said network and in data communication with said server computer;

providing a template file accessible by with said server computer, said template file including a programming script;

issuing a request from said client computer to said server computer to create a document configured to be accessed and viewed in a manner other than as a web page, said document including information of a pre-selected category arranged according to a pre-determined layout based upon said template file;

querying a data source for Information of said pre-selected category;

organizing said pre-selected category of information according to a pre-determined layout thereof;

executing said script to format said document automatically into a pre-selected file format other than hypertext markup language, said pre-selected file format configured such that said information within said document cannot be altered; and

,

delivering said document in said pre-selected file format to said client computer via said network in a manner such that said document can be further distributed to other computers from said client computer.

19. The method of electronically delivering a formatted document according to claim 18, wherein said document is formatted as a portable document file format.