System and method for annotating electronic documents

• US 7,432,938 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1996
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reuter, Ronald Lee, Fuller, Tamara Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, CHANTE E
• Application Number:
  US08/699,261
• Time in Patent Office: 4,432 Days
• Field of Search: 395/773, 707/512, 707/530, 345/418, 345/619, 345/672, 345/680, 715/512, 715/530, 715/700, 715/230, 715/232, 715/764
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A system and method for annotating electronic documents is disclosed. The method for annotating displayable electronic documents generally includes the steps of receiving at least a first input from a first person, such as an annotator, generating, in response to the first input, at least one of a first annotation box and a first annotation which relates to a first portion of the electronic document, and linking at least one of the first annotation box and the first annotation with the first portion of the electronic document to which the first annotation relates via a displayable first reference link.

Claims

1. A method for annotating at least a first portion of a first electronic document displayable to a first person via a display screen, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least a first input from the first person;

generating, in response to at least the first input, at least one of a first annotation and a first annotation box displayable to the first person via a window of the display screen, wherein the first annotation is displayable within the first annotation box, the first annotation box being positioned a distance away from the first text portion of the first electronic document, over a second text portion of the first electronic document, such that the first text portion of the first electronic document and said at least one of the first annotation and the first annotation box are displayable simultaneously in the window;

linking said at least one of the first annotation and the first annotation box with the first text portion of the first electronic documents via a displayable first referencer, wherein the first referencer comprises one of a displayable arrow and a displayable line extending between the first text portion of the first electronic document and said at least one of the first annotation box and the first annotation;

receiving at least a second input from the first person, the second input corresponding to relating at least one of the first annotation aid the first annotation box with the first portion of the first electronic document via the first referencer;

within the window of the display screen, generating, from the second input, the first referencer to link at least one of the first annotation and the first annotation box with the first portion of the first electronic document, wherein the first referencer is wholly displayed with in the window without crossing boundaries of other displayed windows in the display screen;

receiving at least a third input from the first person, wherein the third input corresponds to moving at least one of the first annotation and the first annotation box from a first location relative to the first portion of the first electronic document to a second location relative to the first portion of the first electronic document, and reconfiguring the first referencer to link at least one of the first annotation box and the first annotation at the second location with the first text portion of the first electronic document, wherein the first end of the first referencer is moved from a first position proximate the first location to a second position, where the second location is determined relative to at least one of the first position of the first end and the first text portion of the first electronic document, and is proximate the second location; and

positioning the first end of the first referencer at the second position, proximate the second location, along with at least one of the first annotation box and the first annotation.

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

displaying at least the first text portion of the first electronic document to at least one of the first person and a first viewer of the first electronic document via the window of the display screen;

displaying, over a second text portion of the first electronic documents, at least one of the first annotation and first annotation box to at least one of the first person and the first viewer of the first electronic document via the window of the display screen; and

displaying at least the first referencer to at least one of the first person and the first viewer of the first electronic document via the window of the display screen.

3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first referencer includes first and second ends, wherein the first end corresponds to at least one of the first annotation and the first annotation box and the second end corresponds to the first text portion of the first electronic document to which the first annotation applies, wherein said step of generating the first referencer comprises the steps of:

determining first and second positions of the first and second ends of the first referencer, respectively, relatively, relative to at least the first electronic document, the first position being different than the second position.

4. A method, as claimed in claim 3, wherein said receiving at least the second input includes the step of:

collecting from the first person one of a plurality of voice inputs, a plurality of touch-screen inputs, a plurality of keystroke inputs and plurality of computer mouse inputs corresponding to the first and second positions of first and second ends, respectively, of the first referencer.

5. A method, as claimed in claim 3, wherein said generating the first referencer includes the step of sorting at least the first and second positions of the first and second ends, respectively, to provide a record of the first referencer.

6. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of receiving the first input includes the step of collecting at least one of a voice input, a touch-screen input, a keystroke input and a computer mouse input corresponding to at least one of the first annotation and first annotation box.

7. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving at least a third input from the first person in a specified region of the first annotation box, wherein the third input corresponds to one of enlarging and collapsing the first annotation box to predetermined sizes, wherein at least the first part of the first annotation is displayable to the first person in an enlarged first annotation box, wherein at least the first part of the first annotation is screened from view of the first person in a collapsed first annotation box; and

reconfiguring, in response to the third input, the first annotation box to one of the enlarged state and the collapsed state.

8. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

displaying, within the first annotation box and via the display screen, at least a first part of the text of the first annotation; and

displaying the first referencer link between the first annotation box and the first portion of the first electronic document to which the first annotation refers.

9. A system for annotating at least a first portion of a first electronic document displayable to a first person via an area of a display screen, said system comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of inputs from the first person, wherein a first of the plurality of inputs concerns generating at least one of a first annotation and a first annotation box displayable within the area of the display screen at a first location over a second portion of the first electronic document different than the first portion of the first electronic document to at least the first person and a second of the plurality of inputs from the first person concerns linking said at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box to the first portion of the first electronic document wherein the first annotation and the first annotation box created by the plurality of inputs are associated with the first document such that the first annotation and the first annotation box are accessible when the first document is accessed;

first means, associated with said means for receiving, for processing the first of the plurality of inputs to generate said at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box displayable to at least the first person via the display screen over the second portion of the first electronic document;

second means, associated with said means for receiving, for processing the second of the plurality of inputs, to establish a first referencer link between said at least one said first annotation and said first annotation box and the first portion of the first electronic document, wherein said first referencer link is wholly displayable to at least the first person in the area of the display screen without crossing from one window to another window, wherein said first referencer link comprises one of a line and an arrow, and said first referencer link includes a first end associated with at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box and a second end associated with the first portion of the first electronic document to which one of said first annotation and said first annotation box pertains;

third means, associated with said receiving means, for processing a third of the plurality of inputs to position, relative to the first portion of the first electronic document, at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box from the first location to a second location; and

means, associated with said means for receiving, for reconfiguring in the area of the display screen said first referencer link to move said first end of said first referencer link with at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box from the first location to a second location, wherein said second end of said first referencer link remains associated with the first portion of the first electronic document, and wherein the first referencer link, the first annotation box, and the first portion of the electronic document are concurrently displayed in the area of the display screen.

10. A system, as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first of the plurality of inputs concerns generating said first annotation box, wherein a third of the plurality of inputs from the first person concerns the first annotation, said system further comprising:

means, associated with said means for receiving, for processing the third of the plurality of inputs to generate text of a first annotation, wherein at least a first part of the first annotation is displayable to at least the first person within the first annotation box, via the area of the display screen.

11. A system, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said means for receiving comprises a receiver capable of collecting at least one of a plurality of keystroke inputs, computer mouse inputs, touch-screen inputs and voice inputs.

12. A system, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

third means, associated with said means for receiving, for processing in a selected area of said first annotation box a third of the plurality of inputs to reconfigure said first annotation box one of a collapsed condition and an enlarged condition, wherein said first Notation box in said collapsed condition conceals from display at least a first part of said first annotation and said first annotation box in said enlarged condition displays at least said first part of said first annotation.

13. A system, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

means associated with said means for receiving, for storing said first referencer link in a memory associated with said second means for processing.

14. A system, as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

means, associated with said means for receiving, for concealing said first referencer link from display to at least the first person via the display screen.

15. A system, as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box is positioned at a first location relative to the first portion of the first electronic document, wherein said system further comprises:

means, associated with said receiving means, for processing a third of the plurality of input to position, relative to the first portion of the first electronic document, at least one of said first annotation and said first annotation box from the first location to a second location.