Method for updating a document by means of appending

• US 6,610,104 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Wu, Jian, Lin, Kuang-Shin, Chen, Tong-S
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US09/350,117
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 707/511, 707/203, 707/530, 707/531, 707/200, 715/511, 715/530, 715/531
• US Class Current: 715/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method for updating a document by means of appending an updated file to the document comprises the steps of reading an original document; initializing the original document to have a name and an index number for correspondingly identifying the original document; opening the updated file; establishing a name for correspondingly identifying the updated file; and appending the updated file to the original document to form an updated document. By utilizing the method, the file size and the download time of the updated document are reduced, as well as enabling a user to easily carry out a query to documents with different versions and a switching between them.

Claims

1. A method for updating a document by means of appending a new file to the document, comprising the steps of:

(a) reading an original document;

(b) initializing the original document to generate a name and set an index number for correspondingly identifying the original document;

(c) opening an updated file consisting of the new file;

(d) establishing a name for correspondingly identifying the updated file; and

(e) appending the updated file to the original document to form an updated document;

wherein step (b) comprises the substeps of;

(b-1) setting a name and a unique identification (“

ID”

) corresponding to the original document;

(b-2) dividing the original document into a plurality of sub-documents and assigning each of the sub-documents a unique ID;

(b-3) storing the content of the sub-documents in a new version of the original document;

(b-4) recording the addresses of the sub-documents in the new version of the original document;

(b-5) sequentially reading the content of the original document comprising the IDs of the sub-documents, the addresses of the sub-documents, and the ID of the original document;

(b-6) storing a predetermined name of a descriptive document, and the name and the unique ID of the original document into a predetermined address of the descriptive document comprising a plurality of relevant documents and the content of the original document; and

(b-7) setting a number of times the original document has been updated, and setting the index number of the original document; and

wherein the method for updating a document further comprises, after initializing the original document, the additional steps of;

(b-8) opening the descriptive document corresponding to the index number of the original document;

(b-9) reading the times of updating the original document;

(b-10) ascertaining the updated document corresponding to the original document based on the time of updating;

(b-11) opening an index document corresponding to a previously updated document and recording it;

(b-12) opening the updated descriptive document, and recording a name and an index number of the index document;

(b-13) opening the updated index document, and recording it;

(b-14) processing the index document in step (b-11) and step (b-12) to obtain an updated index document, and recording it.

(b-15) sequentially outputting a content of the updated index document comprising the IDs of the sub-documents, the addresses of the sub-documents, and the ID of the original document;

(b-16) forming an index document;

(b-17) incrementing the index number of the index document by one as the index number of the index document being updated;

(b-18) incrementing the number of times the descriptive document has been updated by one as the times of updating of the index document being updated;

(b-19) inserting the name of the index document being updated and the ID of the index document being updated into the descriptive document for forming an updated descriptive document; and

(b-20) outputting the updated descriptive document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein it all content of the sub-documents has not been stored in the new version of the original document yet, keeping on storing the content of the sub-documents.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein if the content of the original document has not been completely read out yet, keeping on reading the content of the original document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b-14) further comprises the sub-steps of:

(b-14-i) copying the index document corresponding to the previously updated document to the index document being updated,

(b-14-ii) reading a first index unit of the index document being updated;

(b-14-iii) identifying whether the first index unit is in the index document being updated if yes, replacing the index unit of the index document being updated with the first index unit thereof, and if not, inserting the first index unit into the index document being updated; and

(b-14-iv) outputting the updated index document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein if there is an unprocessed index unit in the index document being updated, keeping on identifying whether the first index unit is in the index document being updated.