System and method for providing a customized index with hyper-footnotes

• US 7,484,172 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Jorasch, James A., Downs, Michael D., Sparico, Thomas M., Sammon, Russell P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/095,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20030004999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,514 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/513, 715/537, 715/241, 715/255, 715/266, 725/537, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a method may include providing a periodical index customized for a subscriber. The method may comprise, for example, determining first data corresponding to content of at least one issue of a periodical, determining customized index data, in which the customized index data is based on the first data and at least one preference associated with a subscriber to the periodical, and outputting a customized index for the subscriber, the customized index including the customized index data, in which the customized index is separate from the content of the at least one issue.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving first data corresponding to standard printed content of a periodical;

receiving second data indicating at least one content preference of a subscriber of the periodical;

generating customized index data based on a comparison of the first data and the second data, in which the customized index data identifies first content included in the standard printed content and includes at least one of an article title and a page number; and

printing a customized index for the subscriber, the customized index including the customized index data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing comprises:

printing the customized index on an outer wrap.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

attaching the outer wrap to the periodical; and

mailing the periodical to the subscriber.

4. A method, comprising:

determining at least one preference associated with a subscriber of a periodical;

determining a correlation between the at least one preference and at least a portion of standard printed content of an issue of the periodical;

generating a customized index for the subscriber that is associated with the issue of the periodical, the customized index including an indication of at least one article contained in the periodical, the indication comprising at least one of an article title and a page number; and

providing the customized index to the subscriber, wherein the customized index is separate from the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical.

5. The method of claim 4, in which generating the customized index further comprises printing the customized index on at least one of the outside of the periodical, the inside of the periodical, on an outer wrap for attachment to the periodical, and on an insert.

6. The method of claim 4, in which providing the customized index to the subscriber comprises at least one of mailing the periodical with the customized index, delivering the customized index via facsimile, delivering the customized index via electronic mail, delivering the customized index via telephone, and providing access to the customized index to the subscriber via the Internet.

7. The method of claim 4, in which determining at least one preference comprises:

determining subscribers of a periodical; and

determining if at least one preference is associated with at least one of the subscribers of the periodical.

8. The method of claim 7, in which at least one of determining subscribers of a periodical and determining at least one preference comprises searching at least one database.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the customized index further comprises at least one content code that represents an attribute associated with the content of an article of the periodical.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the content code represents at least one of a company, an industry, a person, and a geographic area.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the content code represents at least one of a product information, a summary, and an editorial.

12. A system, comprising:

means for determining at least one preference associated with a subscriber of a periodical;

means for determining a correlation between the at least one preference and at least a portion of standard printed content of an issue of the periodical;

means for generating a customized index for the subscriber that is associated with the issue of the periodical, the customized index including an indication of at least one article contained in the periodical, the indication comprising at least one of an article title and a page number; and

means for providing the customized index to the subscriber, wherein the customized index is separate from the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for generating the customized index comprises a printer configured to print the customized index on at least one of the outside of the periodical, the inside of the periodical, on an outer wrap for attachment to the periodical, and on an insert.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for providing the customized index to the subscriber comprises a controller for at least one of mailing the periodical with the customized index, delivering the customized index via facsimile, delivering the customized index via electronic mail, delivering the customized index via telephone, and providing access to the customized index to the subscriber via the Internet.

15. A method, comprising:

determining a first preference associated with a first subscriber of a periodical;

determining a correlation between the first preference and at least a first portion of standard printed content of an issue of the periodical;

determining a second preference associated with a second subscriber of the periodical;

determining a correlation between the second preference and at least a second portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion;

generating a first customized index associated with the first portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical, and a second customized index associated with the second portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical; and

providing the first customized index to the first subscriber and the second customized index to the second subscriber.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the first customized index and the second customized index is separate from the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical.

17. The method of claim 15, in which generating the first customized index and the second customized index comprises providing an indication of at least one article contained in the issue of the periodical, the indication comprising at least one of an article title and a page number.

18. The method of claim 15 in which determining the first preference and the second preference comprises:

determining subscribers of a periodical; and

determining if at least one preference is associated with each of the first and second subscribers.

19. The method of claim 18, in which at least one of determining the subscribers of a periodical and determining if at least one preference is associated with a subscriber comprises searching at least one database.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical corresponds to a first article, and the second portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical corresponds to a second article.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first customized index and the second customize index further comprises at least one content code that represents an attribute associated with the content of an article of the periodical.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the content code represents at least one of a company, an industry, a person, and a geographic area.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the content code represents at least one of a product information, a summary, and an editorial.

24. The method of claim 15, in which generating at least one of the first customized index and the second customized index comprises printing the customized index on at least one of the outside of the periodical, the inside of the periodical, on an outer wrap for attachment to the periodical, and on an insert.

25. The method of claim 15, in which providing the first customized index and the second customized index to at least one of the first subscriber and the second subscriber farther comprises at least one of mailing the periodical and customized index, delivering the customized index via facsimile, delivering the customized index via electronic mail, delivering the customized index via telephone, and providing access to the customized index via the Internet.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the first preference and the second preference in a database with subscriber data.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the subscriber data comprises at least one of a subscriber number, a name, an address, a phone number, a financial account number, a magazine identifier, an index number, and a subscription expiration date.

28. A system, comprising:

means for determining a first preference associated with a first subscriber of a periodical;

means for determining a correlation between the first preference and at least a first portion of standard printed content of an issue of the periodical;

means for determining a second preference associated with a second subscriber of the periodical;

means for determining a correlation between the second preference and at least a second portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion;

means for generating a first customized index associated with the first portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical, and a second customized index associated with the second portion of the standard printed content of the issue of the periodical; and

means for providing the first customized index to the first subscriber and the second customized index to the second subscriber.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the means for generating the first customized index and the second customized index comprises a printer configured to provide an indication of at least one article contained in the issue of the periodical, the indication comprising at least one of an article title and a page number.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the printer is further configured to provide an indication of at least one content code that represents an attribute associated with the content of an article of the periodical.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the printer is configured to print the at least one of the first customized index and the second customized index on at least one of the outside of the periodical, the inside of the periodical, on an outer wrap for attachment to the periodical, and on an insert.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the means for determining the first preference and the second preference comprises a controller configured to determine subscribers of a periodical, and to determine if at least one preference is associated with each of the first and second subscribers.