System for publishing, organizing, accessing and distributing information in a computer network

• US 7,130,879 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2000
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: InStranet, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dayon, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HIEU C
• Application Number:
  US09/576,946
• Time in Patent Office: 2,353 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 345/854
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method for accessing web pages on a network is disclosed. The method comprises transferring a portion of a web page from a server computer to a display device over the network. The portion of the web page includes a selector allowing the user to concurrently select respective values for two or more dimensions. A user'"'"'s choice is detected to indicate the value selected for each dimension chosen by the user and a filtering methodology selected by the user for each dimension chosen by the user. The filtering methodology is selected from a plurality of filtering methodologies. One or more web pages associated with information that meets all the respective values for the chosen dimensions are identified in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies selected for the chosen dimensions. Information about the identified web pages is sent to the user computer. At least one of the identified web pages includes a plurality of sections. A user'"'"'s choice is then detected indicating a web page selected by the user from the identified web pages. Only sections of the web page selected by the user that meet the respective values for the chosen dimensions and the corresponding filtering methodologies are sent to the user computer. Signals provided by a document creator are accepted via the user input device to create a document, the document having a plurality of sections. Signals provided by the document creator are accepted via the user input device to assign a value for at least one dimension to each section of the document. A first section of the document and a second section of the document are associated with different values for the same dimension. The user is given access to the plurality of sections of the document based on the values assigned to the corresponding dimensions by the document creator.

Claims

1. A method for accessing web pages on a network, wherein the network is coupled to a server computer and a user computer operated by a user, the user computer including a user input device and a display device, the method comprising:

transferring a portion of a web page from the server computer to the display device over the network, wherein the portion of the web page includes a selector allowing the user to concurrently select respective values for two or more dimensions;

detecting a user'"'"'s choice by receiving information generated in response to signals from the user input device to indicate the value selected for each dimension chosen by the user;

detecting a user'"'"'s choice by receiving information generated in response to signals from the user input device to indicate a filtering methodology selected by the user for each dimension chosen by the user, wherein the filtering methodology is selected by the user from a plurality of filtering methodologies;

identifying one or more web pages associated with information that meets all the respective values for the chosen dimensions in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies selected for the chosen dimensions;

sending information about the identified web pages to the user computer, wherein at least one of the identified web pages includes a plurality of sections;

detecting a user'"'"'s choice by receiving information generated in response to signals from the user input device indicating a web page selected by the user from the identified web pages;

sending to the user computer only sections of the web page selected by the user that meet the respective values for the chosen dimensions and the corresponding filtering methodologies;

accepting signals provided by a document creator via the user input device to create a document, the document having a plurality of sections; and

accepting signals provided by the document creator via the user input device to assign a value for at least one dimension to each section of the document, wherein a first section of the document and a second section of the document are associated with different values for the same dimension, and wherein the user is given access to the plurality of sections of the document based on the values assigned to the corresponding dimensions by the document creator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selector includes pull-down lists, one for each dimension;

wherein the two or more dimensions include geographic location, corporate department, employee classification and time period; and

wherein each dimension is associated with a plurality of hierarchical values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein information sent to the user computer is used to display a list of the identified web pages.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a user with one or more values for each dimension; and

using the user'"'"'s associated one or more values as default values for each dimension associated with the created document.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of filtering methodologies include strict filtering, ascending filtering and descending filtering.

6. A user interface for accessing web pages on a network, the user interface using a user input device and display device, the user interface comprising:

selector means for displaying available values for a plurality of dimensions to a user;

detection means for accepting signals from the user input device to detect respective values for two or more dimensions concurrently specified by the user and to detect respective filtering methodologies selected by the user for the two or more dimensions specified by the user, wherein the respective filtering methodologies are selected by the user from a plurality of filtering methodologies;

selection means for selecting one or more web pages that meet all the respective values for the chosen dimensions in accordance with the respective filtering methodologies selected for the two or more dimensions, wherein at least one of the selected web pages includes a plurality of sections;

display means for presenting a list of the selected web pages on the display device;

detection means for accepting signals from the user input device to detect a web page chosen by the user from the list of selected web pages;

display means for displaying only sections of the web page chosen by the user that meet the respective values for the chosen dimensions and the corresponding filtering methodologies;

detection means for accepting signals provided by a document creator via the user input device to create a document, the document having a plurality of sections; and

detection means for accepting signals provided by the document creator via the user input device to assign a value for at least one dimension to each section of the document, wherein a first section of the document and a second section of the document are associated with different values for the same dimension, and wherein the user is given access to the plurality of sections of the document based on the values assigned to the corresponding dimensions by the document creator.

7. A user interface for accessing web pages, the user interface comprising:

displaying to a user a selector for selecting two or more dimensions and specifying a plurality of filtering methodologies;

accepting signals from a user input device to select two or more of the dimensions concurrently specified by the user and specify respective filtering methodologies associated with the two or more dimensions specified by the user;

displaying a list of documents which are included in the selected dimensions in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies, wherein at least one of the documents includes a plurality of sections, each section being associated with two or more dimensions;

accepting signals from the user input device to select a document from the list of displayed documents;

displaying only sections of the selected document that are associated with the selected two or more dimensions in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies;

accepting signals from a document creator via the user input device to create a document, the created document having a plurality of sections; and

accepting signals provided by the document creator via the user input device to assign a value for at least one dimension to each section of the created document, wherein a first section of the created document and a second section of the created document are associated with different values for the same dimension, and wherein the user is given access to the plurality of sections of the created document based on the values assigned to the corresponding dimensions by document creator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the two or more dimensions include geographic location, corporate department, and employee classification.

9. A method for searching documents in a computer network, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of dimensions, each dimension having one or more dimension values, wherein the one or more dimension values include one or more hierarchical values;

maintaining a plurality of documents, each document having a plurality of sections;

assigning a dimension value to each section of each document, wherein a first dimension value assigned to a first section is different from a second dimension value assigned to a second section even though the first and second dimension values belong to the same dimension;

storing the plurality of sections of the plurality of documents in a retrievable form;

indicating the plurality of dimensions to a user;

accepting input from the user specifying the respective dimension values associated with two or more dimensions and the corresponding filtering methodologies associated with the two or more dimensions;

identifying one or more documents that meet all the respective dimension values associated with two or more dimensions specified by the user in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies specified by the user;

accepting input from the user specifying a document selected by the user from the one or more identified documents;

identifying only portions of the selected document to the user that meet the dimension values specified by the user in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies;

accepting signals provided by a document creator via the user input device to create a document, the created document having a plurality of sections; and

accepting signals provided by the document creator via the user input device to assign a value for at least one dimension to each section of the created document, wherein a first section of the created document and a second section of the created document are associated with different values for the same dimension, and wherein the user is given access to the plurality of sections of the created document based on the values assigned to the corresponding dimensions by the document creator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dimensions include geographic location.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dimensions include corporate department.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dimensions include employee classification.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dimensions include time period.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the user specification is performed by means of a selector tool displayed on a graphical user interface to a digital processing system.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

maintaining a user coordinate associated with the user, the user coordinate including a plurality of dimension values;

wherein identifying only sections of the selected document to the user further comprises;

identifying a section of the selected document to the user only if the section of the selected document is associated with the user coordinate.