Computer file transfer system

• US 6,708,189 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DeskNet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DeskNet, Inc.
• Inventors: Fitzsimons, Brian G., Snyder, Colin E., Fitzsimons, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo, Thuy N.
• Application Number:
  US09/536,014
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 707/6, 707/101, 707/200, 707/203, 707/205, 707/513, 707/8, 707/10, 707/202, 345/302, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for converting a data file received by an automated publishing system from a source for use within one of a plurality of presentation spaces of the automated publishing system. The method includes the steps of parsing the data file to recover an identifier of the source and an information content to be used by the automated publication system and identifying a presentation space of the plurality of presentation spaces for the parsed file based upon the identifier of the source and reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use within the identified presentation space based upon a set of predetermined attributes associated with the identified presentation space.

Claims

1. A method of converting a data file received by an automated publishing system from a source for use within one of a plurality of presentation spaces of the automated publishing system according to a business logic of an organization using the publication system, such method comprising the steps of:

parsing the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the publication system and an information content to be used by the automated publication system;

identifying a presentation space of the plurality of presentation spaces for the parsed file based upon the identifier of the source and the business logic of the organization using the publication system; and

reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use within the identified presentation space based upon a set of predetermined attributes associated with the identified presentation space.

2. The method of converting a data file as in claim 1 further comprising defining the source as a personal computer receiving the information content from a human user.

3. The method of converting a data file as in claim 1 wherein the step of reformatting the information content further comprises transferring the reformatted information content to a page layout tool.

4. The method of converting a data file as in claim 1 wherein the step of recovering an identifier of the source further comprises processing meta data of the data file.

5. The method of converting a data file as in claim 4 further comprising matching a title of the data file with a title assigned to the source.

6. The method of converting a data file as in claim 4 further comprising matching a name within a header of the file with a name of the source.

7. The method of converting a data file as in claim 4 further comprising determining a format of the data file from the meta data.

8. The method of converting a data file as in claim 7 further comprising selecting a filter for recovering formatting information based upon the determined format of the data file.

9. The method of converting a data file as in claim 8 further comprising formulating the predetermined attributes based on a business logic and purpose of an organization using the automated publishing system.

10. The method of converting a data file as in claim 9 wherein the step of formulating the predetermined attributes based on a business logic further comprises defining a template having relatively fixed outside dimension and the plurality of presentation spaces inside.

11. The method of converting a data file as in claim 10 wherein the step of defining the template further comprises defining the template as a newspaper page.

12. The method of converting a data file as in claim 11 wherein the step of defining the template as a newspaper page further comprises defining the identified presentation space as a column space assigned to the source.

13. The method of converting a data file as in claim 12 wherein the step of defining the identified space as a column space assigned to the source further comprises defining a table of formatting requirements defining the assigned column space.

14. The method of converting a data file as in claim 13 further comprising applying the formatting filter to the data file to recover formatting information.

15. The method of converting a data file as in claim 14 further comprising inserting the recovered formatting information as mark-up inserts into the parsed information content.

16. The method of converting a data file as in claim 15 wherein the step of reformatting further comprises sequentially processing the information content of the data file in accordance with the table of formatting requirements for the identified space until encountering a mark-up insert and then comparing the encountered mark-up insert with formatting entries within the table and where a corresponding formatting requirement is found executing the corresponding formatting requirement.

17. The method of converting a data file as in claim 1 further comprising defining the presentation space as an e-mail message.

18. The method of converting a data file as in claim 17 further comprising retrieving an e-mail address from a database based upon the source identifier.

19. The method of converting a data file as in claim 18 further comprising composing the e-mail message.

20. The method of converting a data file as in claim 19 further comprising retrieving additional information regarding the source from the database.

21. The method of converting a data file as in claim 20 further comprising appending the additional information to the composed e-mail message.

22. A method of converting a data file received from a source for use at one of a plurality of destinations according to a business logic of an organization using the converted data file, such method comprising the steps of:

parsing the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the converted data file and an information content;

identifying a destination of the plurality of destinations for the parsed file based upon the identifier of the source;

identifying a set of predetermined attributes associated with the identified destination based upon the recovered identifier of the source; and

reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use at the identified destination based upon the identified set of predetermined attributes.

23. The method of converting data files as in claim 22 wherein the step of recovering the source identifier further comprises processing meta information of the file.

24. The method of converting data files as in claim 22 further comprising defining the source as a personal computer receiving the information content from a human user.

25. The method of converting data files as in claim 22 wherein the step of identifying the set of predetermined attributes further comprises formulating a set of formatting requirements of the predetermined attributes based upon a business logic of the destination.

26. The method of converting data files as in claim 25 wherein the step of formulating the set of a set of formatting requirements further comprises presenting the formatted file as textual information with other files on a page of a newspaper.

27. The method of converting data files as in claim 26 wherein the step of formulating the set of formatting requirements further comprises providing a headline for the textual information with a larger relative font size than a remainder of the textual information.

28. The method of converting data files as in claim 27 wherein the step of formulating the set of formatting requirements further comprises providing a byline for the textual information.

29. The method of converting data files as in claim 28 wherein the step of providing a byline further comprises importing a name of a writer of the textual information based upon the source identifier.

30. The method of converting data files as in claim 25 further comprising composing an e-mail message to a third party including the reformatted file as textual information.

31. The method of converting data files as in claim 25 wherein the step of formulating the set of formatting requirements further comprises preparing the file for storage as an HTML or XML construct.

32. The method of converting data files as in claim 25 further comprising retrieving information associated with the source from a database.

33. The method of converting data files as in claim 32 further comprising reformatting the information content of the retrieved information for use at the destination based upon the set of predetermined attributes required by the destination.

34. The method of converting data files as in claim 33 further comprising composing an e-mail message to the source including the reformatted parsed file and retrieved information.

35. A method of converting a data file received from a source for use at a destination according to a business logic of an organization using the converted data file, such method comprising the steps of:

parsing the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the converted data file, an identifier of a format of the data file and an information content;

identifying a destination for the parsed file based upon an identifier of the source;

retrieving a set of formatting requirements based upon the identified destination; and

reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use at the destination based upon the identified format of the data file and the set of formatting requirements of the destination.

36. The method of converting a data file as in claim 35 wherein the step of retrieving the set of formatting requirements required by the identified destination for the identified source further comprises retrieving a predetermined location for the reformatted file within a portion of a larger destination document.

37. The method of converting a data file as in claim 35 wherein the step of parsing the file further comprises applying a formatting filter to recover formatting information.

38. The method of converting a data file as in claim 37 wherein the step of applying a formatting filter further comprises converting the filtered file into an XML file with the filtered formatting information inserted as mark-up language.

39. An apparatus for converting a data file received by an automated publishing system from a source for use within one of a plurality of presentation spaces of the automated publishing system according to a business logic of an organization using the publication system, such apparatus comprising:

means for parsing the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the publication system and an information content to be used by the automated publication system;

means for identifying a presentation space of the plurality of presentation spaces for the parsed file based upon the identifier of the source; and

means for reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use within the identified presentation space based upon a set of predetermined attributes associated with the identified presentation space.

40. An apparatus for converting a data file received from a source for use at one of a plurality of destinations according to a business logic of an organization using the converted data file, such apparatus comprising:

means for parsing the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the converted data file and an information content;

means for identifying a destination of the plurality of destinations for the parsed file based upon the identifier of the source;

means for identifying a set of predetermined attributes associated with the identified destination based upon the recovered identifier of the source; and

means for reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use at the identified destination based upon the identified set of predetermined attributes.

41. An apparatus for converting a data file received from a source for use at a destination according to a business logic of an organization using the converted data file, such apparatus comprising:

means for parsing the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the converted data file, an identifier of a format of the data file and an information content;

means for identifying a destination for the parsed file based upon an identifier of the source;

means for retrieving a set of formatting requirements based upon the identified destination for the identified source; and

means for reformatting the information content of the parsed file for use at the destination based upon the identified format of the data file and the set of formatting requirements of the destination.

42. An apparatus for converting a data file received by an automated publishing system from a source for use within one of a plurality of presentation spaces of the automated publishing system according to a business logic of an organization using the publication system, such apparatus comprising:

a parsing processor adapted to parse the data file received from the source to recover an identifier of the source based upon the business logic of the organization using the publication system and an information content to be used by the automated publication system;

a destination processor adapted to identify a presentation space of the plurality of presentation spaces for the parsed file based upon the identifier of the source; and

a formatting processor adapted to reformat the information content of the parsed file for use within the identified presentation space based upon a set of predetermined attributes associated with the identified presentation space.