Method and apparatus for electronically publishing information on a computer network

• US 8,676,778 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GraphOn Corporation
• Original Assignee: GraphOn Corporation
• Inventors: Wesinger, Ralph E. Jr., Coley, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): REYES, MARIELA D
• Application Number:
  US13/107,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 707/707, 707/708
• US Class Current: 707/707
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• 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

Methods and apparatus for electronically publishing information on a computer network are disclosed. A computer connected to a computer network is provided to host a database. The computer is configured receive a request from a user to electronically publish information on the computer network. The computer then may accept and store input from the user in a database. The computer may then electronically publish the user input by making information stored in the database freely accessible on the computer network.

Claims

1. A network database system comprising:

a database server that;

stores a database in memory, the database containing a plurality of entries, each entry including information provided by an entity, the information including a document associated with one or more categories defined by the entity or keywords defined by the entity, and

generates an HTML tool utilizing a routine called from one or more CGI scripts, the tool allowing for entry of information by the entity; and

a web server communicatively coupled to the database server, the web server including a processor that executes instructions stored in memory, wherein the execution of the instructions by the processor;

generates a screen display of a search page in response to a uniform resource locator (URL) request by a user, the screen display of the search page presenting at least two navigational aids, the navigational aids including;

a first navigational aid that allows the user to browse for a particular document stored at the database server using the one or more categories matching the categories defined by the associated entity, and

a second navigational aid that allows a user to search for a particular document stored at the database server by entering a keyword matching a keyword defined by the associated entity;

retrieves a selected document associated with the entries from the database server in response to the first navigational aid or the second navigational aid; and

generates a screen display of the retrieved document on a page having a third navigational aid that provides the user access to another screen display of the search page.

2. The network database system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the entity stored at the database server further indicates that the entity is a person.

3. The network database system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the entity stored at the database server further indicates that the entity is a business.

4. The network database system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the entity stored at the database server further includes information about products or services offered by the entity.

5. The network database system of claim 1, wherein further execution of instructions by the processor of the web server generates a screen display of an update page that allows for updating of a document associated with an entry.

6. The network database system of claim 5, wherein further execution of instructions by the processor of the web server generates on the update page a prompt for a user name and password before allowing updating of a document associated with an entry.

7. The network database system of claim 5, wherein the database server further stores a category tree comprising the one or more categories, and wherein the screen display of the update page generated by the web server displays a list of the categories in the category tree.

8. The network database system of claim 7, wherein the screen display of the update page generated by the web server further allows entry of one or more additional categories.

9. The network database system of claim 1, wherein the web server converts the retrieved document to hypertext markup language (HTML), thereby generating a HTML document, prior to serving the HTML document.

10. A method for maintaining a network database system, the method comprising:

storing a database in memory of a database server, the database containing a plurality of entries, each entry including information provided by an entity, the information including a document associated with one or more categories defined by the entity or keywords defined by the entity;

executing instructions stored in memory, the instructions executed by a processor thereby generating an HTML tool utilizing a routine called from one or more CGI scripts, the tool allowing for entry of information by the entity; and

executing instructions stored in memory, the instructions executed by the processor thereby;

generating a screen display of a search page in response to a uniform resource locator (URL) request by a user, the screen display of the search page presenting at least two navigational aids, the navigational aids including;

a first navigational aid that allows the user to browse for a particular document stored at the database server using the one or more categories matching the categories defined by the associated entity, and

a second navigational aid that allows a user to search for a particular document stored at the database server by entering a keyword matching a keyword defined by the associated entity;

retrieving a selected document associated with the entries from the database server in response to the first navigational aid or the second navigational aid; and

generating a screen display of the retrieved document on a page having a third navigational aid that provides the user access to another screen display of the search page.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for maintaining a network database system, the method comprising:

storing a database containing a plurality of entries, each entry including information provided by an entity, the information including a document associated with one or more categories defined by the entity or keywords defined by the entity;

generating an HTML tool utilizing a routine called from one or more CGI scripts, the tool allowing for entry of information by the entity;

generating a screen display of a search page in response to a uniform resource locator (URL) request by a user, the screen display of the search page presenting at least two navigational aids, the navigational aids including;

a first navigational aid that allows the user to browse for a particular document stored at the database server using the one or more categories matching the categories defined by the associated entity, and

a second navigational aid that allows a user to search for a particular document stored at the database server by entering a keyword matching a keyword defined by the associated entity;

retrieving a selected document associated with the entries from the database server in response to the first navigational aid or the second navigational aid; and

generating a screen display of the retrieved document on a page having a third navigational aid that provides the user access to another screen display of the search page.