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

• US 8,131,821 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Dayon, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Application Number:
  US11/516,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/217, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/7, 707/8, 707/9, 707/10, 707/236, 707/802, 715/234
• US Class Current: 709/218
• 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 searching documents including defining a plurality of dimensions with each having dimension values that define users, maintaining documents with each having sections, and determining a user coordinate having a specific set of dimension values. The method further includes assigning dimension values and an associated user coordinate to each section of each document, storing the sections of the documents in a retrievable form, and identifying dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with a filtering methodology. The method further includes displaying the dimension values as menu items in which a user is permitted to access the menu items for the dimension values associated with the user coordinate, and identifying sections of documents that meet the respective dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with the filtering methodology, so that a user is permitted to access sections of the documents that meet the dimension values.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method for searching documents, with different users associated with different user coordinates which are associated with different one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of dimensions, each dimension having one or more dimension values that define one or more users;

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

determining a user coordinate, wherein the user coordinate is a specific set of dimension values;

assigning one or more dimension values and an associated user coordinate to each section of each document;

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

identifying one or more dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with a filtering methodology;

displaying the different one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values in an interface as menu items depending on the different user coordinate determined, wherein the user can only access the menu items for only the one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values associated with the determined user coordinate, wherein different users are associated with different user coordinates; and

identifying sections of one or more documents that meet the respective dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with the filtering methodology, so that a user is permitted to access sections of the one or more documents that meet the dimension values in accordance with the filtering methodology.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

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

identifying only sections of the selected document that meet the dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies;

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

accepting signals provided by the document creator 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.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising determining the one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values according to a timeframe.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dimensions are associated with a plurality of categories, and wherein at least one of the one or more dimension values includes one or more hierarchical values.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising providing the sections of the one or more documents that meet the dimension values to the interface.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising determining the one or more dimensions and one or more dimension values according to an accessing device.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising determining the one or more dimensions and one or more dimension values according to a user location provided by the accessing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dimensions comprise geographical location, corporate department, employee classification, and time period.

9. An apparatus configured to search documents, with different users are associated with different user coordinates which are associated with different one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to;

define a plurality of dimensions, each dimension having one or more dimension values that define one or more users;

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

determine a user coordinate, wherein the user coordinate is a specific set of dimension values;

assign one or more dimension values and an associated user coordinate to each section of each document;

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

identify one or more dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with a filtering methodology;

displaying the different one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values in an interface as menu items depending on the different user coordinate determined, wherein the user can only access the menu items for only the one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values associated with the determined user coordinate, wherein different users are associated with different user coordinates; and

identify sections of one or more documents that meet the respective dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with the filtering methodology, so that a user is permitted to access sections of the one or more documents that meet the dimension values in accordance with the filtering methodology.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to:

accept input specifying a document selected by the user from one or more displayed documents;

identify only sections of the selected document that meet the dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with the corresponding filtering methodologies;

accept signals provided by a document creator to create a document, the created document having a plurality of sections; and

accept signals provided by the document creator 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.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to determine the one or more dimensions or one or more dimension values according to a timeframe.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of dimensions are associated with a plurality of categories.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising providing the sections of the one or more documents that meet the dimension values to the interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to determine the one or more dimensions and one or more dimension values according to an accessing device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to determine the one or more dimensions and one or more dimension values according to a user location provided by the accessing device.