Method and system for creating a reference database for a computer-readable document

• US 7,155,449 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Pingel, Jürgen, Loehmann, Frank, Höger, Lutz, Specht, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Leslie
• Application Number:
  US09/728,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20010003818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 7, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/201, 707/205, 715/500.1, 715/515, 715/537
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• 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 reference database containing, for example, bibliographic data of a computer-readable document like a text document is stored together with the text document in a single data file. The reference data are therefore always accessible for the user of the document.

Claims

1. A method of creating a reference database for a computer-readable document comprising:

entering user inputted text data for said computer-readable document in a data file;

determining whether a user inputted a request to input reference data wherein said reference data characterizes a reference data source;

entering user inputted reference data into the reference database following said determining finding said user inputted said request to input reference data; and

storing the reference database, said user inputted text data, and other data of the computer-readable document in said data file wherein said other data includes at least one citation to said user inputted reference data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable document further comprises a reference field for retrieving a record stored in the reference database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference database further comprises:

fields for different types of reference data sources; and

fields containing specific information associated with these different types of reference data sources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reference database comprises a bibliographic database, and the reference data sources comprise books, journals, conference presentations, web-pages and e-mails.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the reference database further comprises one field containing information about a number of citations of a reference in the document.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interactive dialogue window for inputting reference data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing the reference database with other data sources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is stored as computer code in a storage medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said computer code is downloaded into said storage medium.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a storage medium coupled to said processor, and including a reference database for a computer-readable document, storing user inputted reference data wherein said reference data characterizes a reference data source, together with said computer-readable document including user inputted text data in a single data file wherein said computer-readable document includes at least one citation to information in said reference database.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said processor is in a first device, and said storage medium is in a second device.

12. A storage medium having stored thereon in a single data file a computer-readable document comprising a reference database storing user inputted reference data, wherein said reference data characterizes a reference data source, user inputted text data and other data of the computer-readable document wherein said other data includes at least one citation to said user inputted reference data.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable document further comprises reference fields.

14. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the reference database contains fields for different types of reference data sources and fields containing specific information associated with these data sources.

15. A computer program for creating a reference database for a computer-readable document, the computer program comprising program code adapted for:

entering user inputted text data for said computer-readable document in a data file;

determining whether a user inputted a request to input reference data, wherein said reference data characterizes a reference data source;

entering user inputted reference data into the reference database following said determining finding said user inputted said request to input reference data; and

storing the reference database, said user inputted text data, and other data of the computer-readable document in said data file wherein said other data includes at least one citation to said user inputted reference data.

16. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable document comprises a reference field for retrieving a record stored in the database.

17. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the reference database comprises fields for different types of reference data sources, and fields containing specific information associated with these data sources.

18. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the reference database comprises a bibliographic database and the data sources include books, journals, conference presentations, web-pages and e-mails.

19. The computer program of claim 18, wherein the reference database comprises one field containing information about the number of citations of a reference in the computer-readable document.

20. The computer program of claim 15, further comprising instructions for displaying a user interactive dialogue window on a display screen.

21. The computer program of claim 20, comprising computer code allowing synchronization of the reference database with other data sources.

22. A computer program product for creating a reference database for a computer-readable document, the computer program product comprising program code adapted for:

entering user inputted text data for said computer-readable document in a data file;

determining whether a user inputted a request to input reference data, wherein said reference data characterizes a reference data source;

entering user inputted reference data into the reference database following said determining finding said user inputted said request to input reference data; and

storing the reference database, said user inputted text data, and other data of the computer-readable document in said data file wherein said other data includes at least one citation to said user inputted reference data.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein reference fields are included in other data for retrieving the reference data stored in the reference database.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising program code allowing synchronization of the reference database with other data sources.