Method and system for removing content entity object in a hierarchically structured content object stored in a database

• US 6,611,840 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Pearson Education Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Pearson Education Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Inventors: Hartman, Robert C. Jr., Walkus, Richard W., Johnson, Eugene Jr., Hennessy, Richard D., Robertson, Jerry D. III, Hanapole, Edward, Murray, Janet L., Kao, I-Ming, Baer, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US09/489,087
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/100-104, 707/501.1, 707/511-514, 707/907-908, 345/739, 345/764, 345/760, 345/769, 345/826, 345/854, 345/660, 709/200-203, 709/216-219, 705/10, 705/26-27
• US Class Current: 715/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A web-based system, method and program product are provided for adding content to a content object stored (e.g., a custom compilation or prepublished work) in a data repository as a group of hierarchically related content entities. Each noncontainer content object is preferably stored as a separate entity in the data repository. Each content entity is also stored as a row in a digital library index class as a collection of attributes and references to related content entities and containers. As the user selects desired objects for inclusion in a content object, the system arranges the objects hierarchically, e.g., into volumes, chapters and sections according to the order specified by the user. The system then creates a file object (e.g., a CBO) defining the content object that contains a list or outline of the container and noncontainer entities selected, their identifiers, order and structure. This file object is stored separately in the data repository. Content is removed from the compilation by removing the container or noncontainer identifier from the list or outline. This is achieved through a user interface by providing a mechanism for enabling a user to select a container or noncontainer (e.g., by title) to be removed.

Claims

1. A method for removing content in a content object capable of being produced by a processing system and representing a customizable compilation of content including, and stored in a data repository as, a plurality of content entities, comprising the steps of:

defining the content object representing the customizable compilation of content with a list of content entity identifiers arranged in the form of an outline including a plurality of hierarchical tiers corresponding to the structure of the content object produced by the processing system, wherein the content entity identifiers are determined by the processing system absent knowledge of those identifiers by a user and placed in the list in response to user selection of content entities for the content object to identify the content entities within the data repository included within the content object, and wherein the outline is modifiable by the user to alter the presence and position of the identified content entities within the content object such that removing a content entity identifier from the outline in accordance with a user modification of the outline removes the identified content entity from the content object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of providing a user interface communicating with the data repository, and providing a mechanism for receiving specification from the user of a content entity to remove from the content object through the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical tiers include a plurality of tiers each with at least one corresponding subordinate tier associated with a content entity identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said content object is a user-defined document.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a cost of said content object based on the content entities within that object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content object includes heterogenous content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content object includes multimedia content.

8. A method for removing content in a hierarchically structured content object capable of being produced by a processing system and representing a customizable compilation of content including, and stored in a data repository as, a plurality of content entities, comprising the steps of:

defining the content object representing the customizable compilation of content with a hierarchical outline corresponding to the structure of the content object produced by the processing system and including a plurality of containers and corresponding content entity identifiers indicating the content entities associated with the containers, wherein the content entity identifiers are determined by the processing system absent knowledge of those identifiers by a user and placed in the outline in response to user selection of content entities for the content object to identify the content entities within the data repository included within the content object, and wherein the outline is modifiable by the user to alter the presence and position of the identified content entities within the content object such that removing a container within the outline in accordance with a user modification of the outline removes the content entities corresponding to the content entity identifiers in the removed container.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of providing a user interface communicating with the data repository, and providing a mechanism for receiving specification from the user of a container to remove from the content object through the user interface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said content object is a user-defined document.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining a cost of said content object based on the content entities within that object.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the content object includes heterogenous content.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the content object includes multimedia content.

14. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for removing content in a content object capable of being produced by the machine and representing a customizable compilation of content including, and stored in a data repository as, a plurality of content entities, the steps comprising:

defining the content object representing the customizable compilation of content with a list of content entity identifiers arranged in the form of an outline including a plurality of hierarchical tiers corresponding to the structure of the content object produced by the processing system, wherein the content entity identifiers are determined by the machine absent knowledge of those identifiers by a user and placed in the list in response to user selection of content entities for the content object to identify the content entities within the data repository included within the content object, and wherein the outline is modifiable by the user to alter the presence and position of the identified content entities within the content object such that removing a content entity identifier from the outline in accordance with a user modification of the outline removes the identified content entity from the content object.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the method steps further comprise the steps of providing a user interface communicating with the data repository, and providing a mechanism for receiving specification from the user of a content entity to remove from the content object through the user interface.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the hierarchical tiers include a plurality of tiers each with at least one corresponding subordinate tier associated with a content entity identifier.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein said content object is a user-defined document.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the method steps further comprise the step of determining a cost of said content object based on the content entities within that object.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the content object includes heterogenous content.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the content object includes multimedia content.

21. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for removing content in a hierarchically structured content object capable of being produced by the machine and representing a customizable compilation of content including, and stored in a data repository as, a plurality of content entities, the steps comprising:

defining the content object representing the customizable compilation of content with a hierarchical outline corresponding to the structure of the content object produced by the machine and including a plurality of containers and corresponding content entity identifiers indicating the content entities associated with the containers, wherein the content entity identifiers are determined by the machine absent knowledge of those identifiers by a user and placed in the outline in response to user selection of content entities for the content object to identify the content entities within the data repository included within the content object, and wherein the outline is modifiable by the user to alter the presence and position of the identified content entities within the content object such that removing a container within the outline in accordance with a user modification of the outline removes the content entities corresponding to the content entity identifiers in the removed container.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the method steps further comprise the steps of providing a user interface communicating with the data repository, and providing a mechanism for receiving specification from the user of a container to remove from the content object through the user interface.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein said content object is a user-defined document.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein the method steps further comprise the step of determining a cost of said content object based on the content entities within that object.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein the content object includes heterogenous content.

26. The device of claim 21, wherein the content object includes multimedia content.

27. A system for removing content in a content object capable of being produced by a processing system and representing a customizable compilation of content including, and stored in a data repository as, a plurality of content entities, comprising:

means for defining the content object representing a customizable compilation of content with a list of content entity identifiers; and

means for arranging the list of content entity identifiers in the form of an outline including a plurality of hierarchical tiers corresponding to the structure of the content object produced by the processing system, wherein the content entity identifiers are determined by the processing system absent knowledge of those identifiers by a user and placed in the list in response to user selection of content entities for the content object to identify the content entities within the data repository included within the content object, and wherein the outline is modifiable by the user to alter the presence and position of the identified content entities within the content object such that removing a content entity identifier from the outline in accordance with a user modification of the outline removes the identified content entity from the content object.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a user interface communicating with the data repository, and a mechanism for receiving specification from the user of a content entity to remove from the content object through the user interface.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the hierarchical tiers include a plurality of tiers each with at least one corresponding subordinate tier associated with a content entity identifier.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein said content object is a user-defined document.

31. The system of claim 27, further including means for determining a cost of said content object based on the content entities within that object.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the content object includes heterogenous content.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the content object includes multimedia content.

34. A system for removing content in a hierarchically structured content object capable of being produced by a processing system and representing a customizable compilation of content including, and stored in a data repository as, a plurality of content entities, comprising:

means for defining the content object representing the customizable compilation of content with a hierarchical outline including a plurality of containers and corresponding content entity identifiers indicating the content entities associated with the containers, wherein the content entity identifiers are determined by the processing system absent knowledge of those identifiers by a user and placed in the outline in response to user selection of content entities for the content object to identify the content entities within the data repository included within the content object; and

means for enabling a user to modify the outline to alter the presence and position of the identified content entities within the content object such that removing a container within the outline in accordance with a user modification of the outline removes the content entities corresponding to the content entity identifiers in the removed container.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising a user interface communicating with the data repository, and a mechanism for receiving specification from the user of a container to remove from the content object.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein said content object is a user-defined document.

37. The system of claim 34, further comprising means for determining a cost of said content object based on the content entities within that object.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the content object includes heterogenous content.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the content object includes multimedia content.