Method and apparatus for modifying temporal addresses

• US 6,980,311 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Currans, Kevin G., Gupta, Aloke
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, DOUGLAS Q
• Application Number:
  US09/536,862
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.9, 358/1.14, 358/1.13, 358/500, 358/401, 709 4- 10, 710/250, 710/350
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

A document delivery system retrieves a periodically changing document. First, an address for the document is obtained. Next a temporal field is located within the address. The temporal field of the address is then modified to reflect a new instance. Then using the modified address, an updated document is retrieved.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving a periodically changing document on a document delivery system, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an address for said document;

recognizing a temporal field within said address;

modifying said temporal field of said address to reflect a different instance; and

retrieving an updated document using the modified address including the steps of;

storing the modified address in a print schedule;

automatically requesting, without user intervention, said updated document based on the print schedule;

transmitting said updated document to a printing device; and

automatically printing, without user intervention, the document on said printing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal field is a date field.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal field is a time field.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said address is a universal resource locator for the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of recognizing a temporal field comprises the step of sequentially searching said address for a temporal pattern from a database of possible temporal patterns.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said address is a first address, wherein the step of recognizing a temporal field comprises the steps of:

obtaining a second address for said document, said second address having different instance of said temporal field;

comparing said first address to said second address to recognize a pattern of said temporal field; and

adding said pattern of said temporal field to a database of possible temporal patterns.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying said temporal field further comprises the steps of:

converting the temporal field into an intermediate value;

calculating said different instance based on said intermediate value and an adjustment interval;

formatting said different instance to fit a pattern of said temporal field; and

substituting the formatted different instance into said temporal field.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of retrieving said adjustment interval from a knowledge module.

9. An apparatus for periodically retrieving a document having an address, comprising:

a document server;

a scheduler coupled to said document server, said scheduler, without user intervention, periodically updating a temporal field in the address of said document wherein said document server retrieves changed documents using updated addresses from said scheduler; and

a printing device operatively coupled to said document server;

wherein said document server automatically transmits, without user intervention, the changed documents to said printing device; and

wherein said printing device automatically prints, without user intervention, the changed documents on said printing device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said scheduler further comprises:

a database of patterns of possible temporal fields; and

a processor sequentially accessing the database of patterns wherein said processor scans said address with the sequentially accessed patterns for said temporal field and wherein upon identifying said temporal field said processor updates said temporal field.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a network coupling said document server with said scheduler.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said network is the Internet.