Machine, computer readable medium, and computer-implemented method for file management, storage, and display

• US 8,874,580 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Randall Reese
• Original Assignee: Randall Reese
• Inventors: Reese, Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): MOSER, BRUCE M
• Application Number:
  US14/028,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/287 Visualization; Browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/08 Sorting, i.e. grouping record carriers in numerical or other ordered sequence according to the classification of at least some of the information they carry by merging two or more sets of carriers in ordered sequence G06F7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

File management machines, computer readable media, and methods of file management, are provided. An exemplary file management machine includes a file management server configured to receive or retrieve user files through an electronic communication/computer network to provide categorical organization and establishment of albums. The file management server can also function to create member user and visitor accounts. The visitor accounts can be provided individual custom access by the member user to provide individualized tailored access to a subset of the files uploaded by the member user. The visitor accounts can be used as to gather information about the file unknown to the member user.

Claims

1. A file management machine to perform file management operations associated with a plurality of files through user action, the file management machine comprising:

a first computer configured as a file management server to communicate through an electronic communications network with a plurality of remotely located user computers associated with a plurality of member and visitor users and configured as the user computers, each user computer being remote from the file management server, the file management server having at least a processor and memory; and

a computer program on the file management server and stored in the memory, the computer program comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the file management server, cause the file management server to perform operations comprising;

generating a member account for a member user,

causing display of an icon palette to the member user on one of the remotely located user computers, the icon palette having a palette boundary and icons representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the member user,

assigning one of the plurality of files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories responsive to member user action whereby dragging and dropping one of the plurality of files onto a selected one of the icons on the icon palette causes the file management server to execute the operations of;

extracting a copy of the file from a memory element associated with the respective remotely located user computer and transferring the copy of the file through the electronic communications network to a memory element associated with the file management server, and

establishing a relation between the file and the respective predetermined category represented by the selected icon,

repeating the operation of the assigning for each other of the plurality of files to thereby define a plurality of member uploaded files,

associating each of the plurality of member uploaded files with one or more of a plurality of albums responsive to member user selection thereof,

generating a plurality of visitor accounts for a corresponding plurality of visitors, each visitor account of the plurality of visitor accounts associated with the member account and configured by the member user to provide each respective different visitor with custom visitor access permissions, and

assigning the visitor access restrictions to each of the plurality of visitors through custom visitor access configuration of the plurality of visitor accounts, each custom visitor access configuration providing member user-selected access to one or more subsets of the plurality of member uploaded files according to one or more of the following bases;

a file-by-file basis, an album-by-album basis, and a category-by-category basis.

2. A file management machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a visitor access configuration webpage form providing a visitor account creation input section including visitor name and password input fields, a visitor listing section, and two or more of the following;

a categorical access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more of the predetermined categories, an album access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more of the plurality of albums, and a file access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more specifically identified member uploaded files of the plurality of member uploaded files.

3. A file management machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the custom visitor access configuration for each respective visitor includes access to the one or more subsets of the member uploaded files on the file-by-file basis and one or both of the following bases:

the album-by-album basis and the category-by-category basis.

4. A file management machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the custom visitor access configuration for each respective visitor includes access to the one or more subsets of the member uploaded files on the file-by-file basis, the album-by-album basis, and the category-by-category basis.

5. A file management machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

employing one or more of the plurality of visitor accounts to facilitate gathering missing information related to description of material displayed in a member uploaded file.

6. A file management machine as defined in claim 5, wherein the operation of employing one or more of the plurality of visitor accounts to facilitate gathering missing information comprises:

causing the display of one of the plurality of member uploaded files to a visitor associated with one of the plurality of visitor accounts configured to provide access to the respective member uploaded file; and

receiving the missing information related to the description of material displayed in the respective member uploaded file.

7. A file management machine as defined in claim 6,

wherein the displayed member uploaded file is a photograph;

wherein the material displayed includes a plurality of people; and

wherein the missing information received includes a name of at least one of the plurality of people displayed in the photograph and being identified by the member user.

8. Non-transitory computer readable medium having processor readable code embodied on the non-transitory computer readable medium, the processor readable code for programming one or more processors of a file management computer defining a file management server to perform file management operations associated with a plurality of files, the processor readable code including instructions that when executed by the one or more processors of the file management server, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:

generating a member account for a member user;

causing display of an icon palette to the member user on one of a plurality of remotely located user computers, the icon palette having a palette boundary and icons representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the member user;

assigning one of the plurality of files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories responsive to member user action whereby dragging and dropping one of the plurality of files onto a selected one of the icons on the icon palette causes the file management server to execute the operations of;

extracting a copy of the file from a memory element associated with the respective remotely located user computer and transferring the copy of the file through the electronic communications network to a memory element associated with the file management server, and

establishing a relation between the file and the respective predetermined category represented by the selected icon;

repeating the operation of the assigning for each other of the plurality of files to thereby define a plurality of member uploaded files;

generating a plurality of visitor accounts for a corresponding plurality of visitors, each visitor account of the plurality of visitor accounts associated with the member account and configured by the member user to provide each respective different visitor with custom visitor access permissions; and

assigning the visitor access restrictions to each of the plurality of visitors through custom visitor access configuration of the plurality of visitor accounts, each custom visitor access configuration providing member user-selected access to one or more subsets of the plurality of member uploaded files according to one or more of the following bases;

a file-by-file basis, an album-by-album basis, and a category-by-category basis.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a visitor access configuration webpage form providing a visitor account creation input section including visitor name and password input fields, a visitor listing section, and two or more of the following;

a categorical access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more of the predetermined categories, an album access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more of the plurality of albums, and a file access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more specifically identified member uploaded files of the plurality of member uploaded files.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the custom visitor access configuration for each respective visitor includes access to the one or more subsets of the member uploaded files on the file-by-file basis and one or both of the following bases:

the album-by-album basis and the category-by-category basis.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 9,

wherein the operations further comprise associating each of the plurality of member uploaded files with one or more of a plurality of albums responsive to member user selection thereof;

and

wherein the custom visitor access configuration for each respective visitor includes access to the one or more subsets of the member uploaded files on the file-by-file basis, the album-by-album basis, and the category-by-category basis.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

employing one or more of the plurality of visitor accounts to facilitate gathering missing information related to description of material displayed in a member uploaded file.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the operation of employing a visitor account to facilitate gathering missing information comprises:

causing the display of one of the plurality of member uploaded files to a visitor associated with one of the plurality of visitor accounts configured to provide access to the respective member uploaded file; and

receiving the missing information related to the description of material displayed in the respective member uploaded file.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 13,

wherein the displayed member uploaded file is a photograph;

wherein the material displayed includes a plurality of people; and

wherein the missing information received includes a name of at least one of the plurality of people displayed in the photograph and being identified by the member user.

15. A computer-implemented method of performing file management operations, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a member account for a member user;

causing display of an icon palette to the member user on one of a plurality of remotely located user computers, the icon palette having a palette boundary and icons representing a plurality of predetermined categories representing notable events in a life of the member user;

assigning one of the plurality of files to at least one of the plurality of predetermined categories responsive to member user action whereby dragging and dropping one of the plurality of files onto a selected one of the icons on the icon palette causes a file management server to execute the steps of;

extracting a copy of the file from a memory element associated with the respective remotely located user computer and transferring the copy of the file through an electronic communications network to a memory element associated with the file management server, and

establishing a relation between the file and the respective predetermined category represented by the selected icon;

repeating the step of the assigning for each other of the plurality of files to thereby define a plurality of member uploaded files;

generating a plurality of visitor accounts for a corresponding plurality of visitors, each visitor account of the plurality of visitor accounts associated with the member account and configured by the member user to provide each respective different visitor with custom visitor access permissions; and

assigning the visitor access restrictions to each of the plurality of visitors through custom visitor access configuration of the plurality of visitor accounts, each custom visitor access configuration providing member user-selected access to one or more subsets of the plurality of member uploaded files according to one or more of the following bases;

a file-by-file basis, an album-by-album basis, and a category-by-category basis.

16. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 15, wherein the steps further comprise:

generating a visitor access configuration webpage form providing a visitor account creation input section including visitor name and password input fields, a visitor listing section, and two or more of the following;

a categorical access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more of the predetermined categories, an album access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more of the plurality of albums, and a file access section providing one or more input fields for member user selection of one or more specifically identified member uploaded files of the plurality of member uploaded files.

17. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 15, wherein the custom visitor access configuration for each respective visitor includes access to the one or more subsets of the member uploaded files on the file-by-file basis and one or both of the following bases:

the album-by-album basis and the category-by-category basis.

18. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 15,

wherein the steps further comprise associating each of the plurality of member uploaded files with one or more of a plurality of albums responsive to member user selection thereof;

and

wherein the custom visitor access configuration for each respective visitor includes access to the one or more subsets of the member uploaded files on the file-by-file basis, the album-by-album basis, and the category-by-category basis.

19. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 15, wherein the steps further comprise:

employing one or more of the plurality of visitor accounts to facilitate gathering missing information related to description of material displayed in a member uploaded file.

20. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 19, wherein the step of employing one or more of the plurality of visitor accounts to facilitate gathering missing information comprises:

causing the display of one of the plurality of member uploaded files to a visitor associated with one of the plurality of visitor accounts configured to provide access to the respective member uploaded file; and

receiving the missing information related to the description of material displayed in the respective member uploaded file.

21. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 20,

wherein the displayed member uploaded file is a photograph;

wherein the material displayed includes a plurality of people; and

wherein the missing information received includes a name of at least one of the plurality of people displayed in the photograph and being identified by the member user.