System and method for managing content on a network interface

• US 8,713,134 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bruce Zak
• Inventors: Zak, Bruce, Zak, Regina
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US12/270,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/226, 709/228, 709/220, 709/224, 719/238, 707/736
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

The disclosed invention is a system and method (collectively the “system”) for the automated management of content on a network interface. The network interface can be a web site on the World Wide Web, an Internet location, an intranet location, an extranet location, or some other form of network interface (collectively “web site”). The system can automatically create applications and links to those applications without human intervention. Examples of automated applications include newsroom applications, calendar of events, employment opportunities, project portfolio, biographies, frequently asked questions, document library, category management, product catalogs, e-mail broadcasts, surveys, and newsletters. Fully normalized hierarchies of business rules and user profiles can be supported by the system to facilitate automation and configurability. Multiple content providers can manage a single web site in a simultaneous or substantially simultaneous manner. In ASP embodiments, multiple organizations can use the system to manage multiple web sites in a substantially simultaneous manner.

Claims

1. A network interface management system, comprising:

an interface subsystem, including a portal configured to capture a plurality of input characteristics from users of the system, the input characteristics including at least one of text, graphics, sounds, documents and multi-media content; and

a content subsystem including a network interface, a plurality of configurable applications including at least a biography application configured to provide biographical information about the users of the system and groups of the users of the system, and a second application configured to distribute content to the users of the system, and at least one configurable link;

wherein said system provides for generating said configurable application from said plurality of input characteristics;

wherein said system provides for automatically embedding said at least one configurable link on said network interface based at least in part on a profile attributed to a current user of said system and at least one business rule that utilizes profiles to determine what content can be viewed; and

wherein said at least one configurable link points to at least one of said configurable applications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said input characteristics further include a start date, and said system provides for automatically embedding said configurable link on said network interface in accordance with said start date.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said portal is a platform independent portal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said portal includes an input view and an output view.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said input view includes an application view.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said system provides for automatically generating said configurable applications from said input characteristics.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said network interface includes at least one of an intranet an extranet Web site, an Internet Web site, and another form of network interface other than a Web site.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said input characteristics further include an end date, and system provides for automatically removing said configurable applications and said configurable link in accordance with said end date.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said portal provides for capturing said plurality of input characteristics from a user of the system acting in a role of a non-technical content provider.

10. The system of claim 1, said content subsystem further including a plurality of configurable links pointing to said plurality of configurable applications, wherein each configurable application in said plurality of configurable applications does not have the same start date.

11. The system of claim 1, said interface subsystem further including a plurality of portals including a first portal and a second portal, wherein said input characteristics captured from said first portal generate a first subset of configurable applications, and wherein said input characteristics captured from said second portal generate a second subset of configurable applications.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein input characteristics are captured by said first portal and said second portal in a substantially simultaneous manner.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said first portal and said second portal are implemented in combination as an integral portal.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said configurable link is a static code program.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurable applications includes at least two of a news application, a document library application, a project portfolio application, an organization application, a newsletter application, and an events application.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurable applications includes at least three of a news application, a document library application, a project portfolio application, an organization application, a newsletter application, and an events application.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurable applications includes at least four of a news application, a document library application, a project portfolio application, an organization application, a newsletter application, and an events application.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurable applications includes at least five of a news application, a document library application, a project portfolio application, an organization application, a newsletter application, and an events application.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of configurable applications includes a news application, a document library application, a project portfolio application, a company bios application, a newsletter application, and an events application.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of business rules configured to determine what can be viewed and by which users, wherein said configurable link and said configurable application are generated in accordance with said plurality of business rules.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said plurality of business rules include at least two of a user-based rule, a group-based rule, an organization-based rule, and an Application Service Provider-based rule.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of profiles associated with said portal, wherein said configurable link and said configurable applications are generated in accordance with said plurality of profiles.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said plurality of profiles includes at least two of a user-profile, a group-profile, an organization-profile, and an Application Service Provider profile.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein said plurality of profiles includes a subscriber-profile.

25. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of network interfaces and a plurality of organizations, wherein said plurality of organizations modify said plurality of network interfaces sites with said system.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of organizations modifies said plurality of network interfaces in a substantially simultaneous manner.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein said input characteristics are associated with at least one of said users of the system.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein said current user is an interactive user.

29. A network interface management system, comprising:

an interface subsystem, including at least one portal configured to capture a plurality of input characteristics from users of the system, the input characteristics including at least one of text, graphics, sounds, documents and multi-media content;

a content subsystem, including a network interface, a plurality of configurable applications and a plurality of configurable links, the configurable applications including at least a biography application providing biographical information about the users of the system and groups of the users of the system, and a second application distributing content to the users of the system;

wherein said system provides for selectively generating one or more said configurable applications from said plurality of input characteristics; and

wherein said system provides for automatically embedding one or more said configurable links pointing to said generated configurable applications on said network interface based at least in part on a profile attributed to a current user of said system and at least one business rule that utilizes profiles to determine what content can be viewed.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said plurality of input characteristics include a start date, and wherein said configurable links are embedded on said network interface in accordance with said start date.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein said plurality of input characteristics include an end date, and wherein said configurable links are from said site in accordance with said end date.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein said plurality of input characteristics include a start date, and wherein said configurable links are embedded on said site in accordance with said start date.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein a plurality of organizations access said plurality of portals.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein said plurality of organizations are charged a subscription fee from an Application Service Provider.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein at least one said configurable link is a static code program.

36. The system of claim 29, further comprising a plurality of profiles and a plurality of business rules configured to determine what can be viewed and by which of said plurality of profiles, wherein said system selectively generates one or more said applications in accordance with requirements specified by said plurality of business rules and said plurality of profiles.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein said plurality of business rules includes a user-rule, a group-rule, and an organization rule, and wherein said plurality of profiles includes a user-profile, a group-profile, and an organization-profile.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein said plurality of applications is associated with a plurality of predetermined application types.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein said plurality of predetermined application types include at least two of a news application, a newsletter application, an events application, an organization application, a document library application, an e-mail broadcast application, a frequently asked questions application, an employment opportunities application, a system maintenance application, and an administrative application.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein said plurality of predetermined application types include an events application, wherein said events application is configured to selectively show an event to a user according to a profile associated with said user.

41. The system of claim 29, said at least one portal including a first portal and a second portal, wherein said input characteristics captured from said first portal generate a first subset of configurable applications, and wherein said input characteristics captured from said second portal generate a second subset of configurable applications.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein input characteristics are captured by said first portal and said second portal in a substantially simultaneous manner.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein said first portal triggers a modification in a first application, and wherein said second portal triggers a modification in a second application.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein said first portal triggers a modification in a first application according to said input characteristics received from a first user of the system, wherein the modification of the first application is visible to a second user of the system.

45. A system, comprising:

an interface subsystem, including a portal configured to capture a plurality of input characteristics from users of the system, each user associated with one of a plurality of user profiles, the input characteristics including at least one of text, graphics, sounds, documents and multi-media content; and

a content subsystem including a network interface, a plurality of configurable applications including at least a biography application configured to provide biographical information about the users of the system and groups of the users of the system, and a second application configured to distribute content to the users of the system, and at least one configurable link;

wherein said system provides for generating said at least one link to said configurable application based on said plurality of input characteristics;

wherein said system provides for automatically embedding said at least one configurable link on said network interface based at least in part on a profile attributed to a current user of said system and at least one business rule that utilizes profiles to determine what content can be viewed; and

wherein said at least one configurable link points to at least one of said configurable applications.