Method and apparatus for improved information transactions

• US 7,536,561 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ebrary
• Original Assignee: Ebrary
• Inventors: Holzgrafe, Richard M, Santos, Tom J, Nolan, Jay C, Warnock, Christopher M
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kimyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dada; Beemnet W
• Application Number:
  US10/306,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 715/526, 715/165, 715/166, 715/193, 707/10, 707/203, 382/256, 382/264, 382/265, 382/282, 382/299
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method and system for making information available of a computer system and compensating information owners or creators for access to said information.

In various aspects, the invention provides a mechanism for giving users meaningful access to information via a computer system and network while protecting the interests of publishers and creators in information. The invention provides a solution for information including, but not limited to: text, graphics, photos, executable files, data tables, audio, video, and three dimensional data. In a further aspect, the invention comprises a new method for allowing a user to review a document while connected to a network but prevents the user from downloading, printing, or copying the document unless a fee is paid. In a further aspect, the invention comprises a new method for allowing a user to review documents at a first cost basis (which may be free), but only provides other access to documents, such as copying, printing, or downloading on a second cost basis. In a further aspect, the invention comprises a new method for allowing a user to purchase a selectable portion of a document at a price based on the amount of material selected where that amount of material can include a portion of a document, an entire document, or an anthology of components of multiple documents.

Claims

1. A method of providing a secure transfer of a high-resolution image, used for non-viewing purposes, over a network from a server to a client, comprising:

creating a high-resolution image of an original document for non-viewing purposes wherein said high-resolution image has higher resolution than a low-resolution image;

storing said high-resolution image in a data repository;

creating said low-resolution image of the original document for viewing purposes wherein said low-resolution image contains all data present in said high-resolution image;

storing said low-resolution image in a data repository;

in response to a first user action, transferring from said repository to said client at least a portion of said low-resolution image;

mapping the location of words or objects on each page of the original document to said low-resolution image to determine a mapping template related to discreet portions of said low-resolution image, wherein said discreet portions are user-selectable and correspond to both the original document and said high-resolution image;

in response to a second user action, which comprises selecting one or more of said discreet portions of said low-resolution image by establishing the bounds of a box of pixels on said low-resolution image, determining from said mapping template corresponding words or objects in said high-resolution image; and

transferring, from said server to said client, said corresponding words or objects of said high-resolution image.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said selected portions include words, said method further comprising:

determining a preferred order of said words in said selected portions.

3. The method of claim 2 in which said transferring further comprises:

transferring words in said selected portions in said preferred order.

4. The method of claim 3 in which said preferred order is a preferred order for interpretation by a human.

5. The method of claim 2 in which said determining of a preferred order comprises:

one or more of the following functions, columnizing or regionizing.

6. The method of claim 5 in which said determining of a preferred order further comprises:

a normalizing function.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring said selected portion(s) to said client only if said client meets one or more authorization requirements.

8. A method of providing a secure transfer of a page of a document, in the form of a high-resolution image, over a network from a server to a client, comprising the steps of:

creating a high-resolution image of the original document page;

creating a low-resolution image of the original document page for presentation to a user wherein said low-resolution image contains all data comprising at least any of the following;

words, graphics, content, metadata, structures, or other elements present in said high-resolution image;

creating a mapping template of the location of words or objects on each page of the original document that assigns a unique identifier to each discreet portion of said low-resolution image;

establishing the location of each such word or object by defining the bounds of a box of pixels in the original document that includes the word or object, and that is represented in a corresponding discreet portion of said low-resolution image to create user-selectable portions of said low-resolution image;

in response to a first user action, transferring said low-resolution image of the original document page and its mapping template from the server to the client;

in response to a further user action, having the client use the mapping template to identify portion(s) of said low-resolution image the user has selected;

having the client transfer to the server information identifying the selected portion(s) according to the mapping template;

the server using the mapping information to determine which words, graphics, content, metadata, structures, or other elements of the original document page correspond to the selected portion(s) of said low-resolution image; and

the server transferring to the client the corresponding selected words, graphics, content, metadata, structures, or other elements of the original document in the form of said high-resolution image.