System and method for annotating and manipulating electronic documents

• US 8,880,994 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E-Z Brief, LLC
• Original Assignee: E-Z Brief, LLC
• Inventors: Lutz, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faber, David
• Application Number:
  US13/871,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20140317488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/230, 715/231, 715/233, 715/209, 715/273, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product allow a user to annotate and manipulate a plurality of electronic documents. The user loads a first electronic document comprising electronic content, which content may be annotated or otherwise manipulated by the user and which annotations are made using a user-defined indication means. The annotated content is outputted to a second electronic document, wherein the content is automatically organized into a corresponding grouping defined by a user-selected identifying aspect. The user may subsequently reorganize any of the outputted annotations within the second electronic document. The method, system, and computer program product further utilize a file browser within which a plurality of electronic documents may be organized and maintained by the user and a client-server protocol for communicating data between a remote database and a local storage medium.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for outputting and organizing user-annotated content from a first electronic document to a second electronic document, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving the first electronic document, wherein the first electronic document comprises one or more content items;

loading the first electronic document into a computer readable medium;

creating a new blank electronic document, the blank new electronic document comprising the second electronic document, which second electronic document is capable of receiving content from the first electronic document;

storing the second electronic document within the computer readable medium;

allowing a user to produce at least one annotation by using at least one indication means that is applied to the one or more content items within the first electronic document, which said at least one indication means is selected by the user from a plurality of indication means comprising at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing;

in response to the user producing the at least one annotation, automatically and without further user intervention, outputting only the at least one annotation from the first electronic document directly to the second electronic document to generate content within the second electronic document; and

organizing the at least one annotation outputted to the second electronic document within at least one grouping,

wherein the user may associate the at least one indication means of the plurality of indication means with a user-associated content category, and

wherein each at least one grouping corresponds to at most one user-associated content category and each at least one grouping contains each at least one annotation corresponding to the user-associated content category corresponding thereto, and

wherein the at least one grouping comprises the user-associated content category and at least one of the at least one annotation corresponding thereto, and

wherein the second electronic document displays the at least one outputted annotation with or without its associated indication means.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each at least one indication means has at most one user-associated content category corresponding thereto and each user associated content category has at most one indication means corresponding thereto.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said allowing step further comprises the step of reproducing the at least one annotation from the first electronic document and said outputting step further comprises the step of outputting the reproduced at least one annotation to the second electronic document.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user may manipulate the at least one annotation within the second electronic document by moving the at least one annotation within a grouping of the at least one grouping or by moving the at least one annotation from a first grouping of the at least one grouping to a second grouping of the at least one grouping.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electronic document and the second electronic document are stored within a file browser managed by the user, the file browser capable of storing a plurality of first electronic documents and a plurality of second electronic documents.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user may manipulate the first electronic document by at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing, which said manipulation to the first electronic document remains unless the manipulation is removed from the first electronic document by the user.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user may assign at least one identifier to the second electronic document, which said at least one identifier corresponds to a name or other identifying information of the second electronic document.

8. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory storage medium for outputting and organizing user-annotated content from a first electronic document to a second electronic document, said computer program product comprising a program module having instructions for:

receiving said first electronic document, wherein said first electronic document comprises one or more content items;

loading said first electronic document into said non-transitory computer readable medium;

creating a new blank electronic document, said new blank electronic document comprising said second electronic document, which second electronic document is capable of receiving content from said first electronic document;

storing said second electronic document within said non-transitory computer readable medium;

allowing a user to produce at least one annotation by using at least one indication means that is applied to the one or more content items within said first electronic document, which said at least one indication means is selected by the user from a plurality of indication means comprising at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing;

in response to the user producing said at least one annotation, automatically and without further user intervention, outputting only said at least one annotation from said first electronic document directly to said second electronic document to generate content within said second electronic document; and

organizing said at least one annotation outputted to said second electronic document within at least one grouping,

wherein the user may associate said at least one indication means of said plurality of indication means with a user-associated content category, and

wherein each said at least one indication means has at most one said user-associated content category corresponding thereto and each said user-associated content category has at most one said at least one indication means corresponding thereto, and

wherein each said at least one grouping corresponds to at most one said user-associated content category and each said at least one grouping contains each said at least one annotation corresponding to said user-associated content category corresponding thereto, and

wherein said at least one grouping comprises said user-associated content category and at least one of said at least one annotation corresponding thereto, and

wherein said second electronic document displays said at least one outputted annotation with or without its associated indication means.

9. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein said computer program product further comprises instructions for reproducing said at least one annotation from said first electronic document and outputting the reproduced said at least one annotation to said second electronic document.

10. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein said computer program product further comprises instructions for including a file browser on said non-transitory computer readable medium, said file browser comprising at least one folder, said at least one folder capable of storing and organizing said first electronic document and said second electronic document on said non-transitory storage medium, said file browser capable of storing a plurality of first electronic documents and a plurality of second electronic documents on said non-transitory computer readable medium.

11. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein said computer program product further comprises instructions for a client-server protocol, said client-server protocol having a client side and a server side, said server side comprising a remote database, said client side communicating with said server side to receive data from and store data within said remote database.

12. A system comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions that when executed by a processor to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first electronic document, wherein said first electronic document comprises one or more content items;

loading said first electronic document into said non-transitory computer readable medium;

creating a new blank electronic document, said new blank electronic document comprising a second electronic document, which said second electronic document is capable of receiving content from said first electronic document;

storing said second electronic document within said non-transitory computer readable medium;

allowing a user to produce at least one annotation by using at least one indication means that is applied to said one or more content items within said first electronic document, which said at least one indication means is selected by the user from a plurality of indication means comprising at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing;

in response to the user producing said at least one annotation, automatically and without further user intervention, outputting only said at least one annotation from said first electronic document directly to said second electronic document to generate content within said second electronic document; and

organizing said at least one annotation outputted to said second electronic document within at least one grouping,

wherein the user may associate said at least one indication means of said plurality of indication means with a user-associated content category, and

wherein each said at least one grouping corresponds to at most one said user-associated content category and each said at least one grouping contains each said at least one annotation corresponding to said user-associated content category corresponding thereto, and

wherein said at least one grouping comprises said user-associated content category and at least one of said at least one annotation corresponding thereto, and

wherein said second electronic document displays said at least one outputted annotation with or without its associated indication means.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said non-transitory computer readable medium includes a file browser stored thereon, wherein said file browser comprises at least one folder, said at least one folder capable of storing and organizing said first electronic document and said second electronic document on said non-transitory computer readable medium, said file browser capable of storing a plurality of first electronic documents and a plurality of second electronic documents on said non-transitory computer readable medium.

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said system further comprises a client-server protocol, said client-server protocol having a client side and a server side, said server side comprising a remote database, said client side communicating with said server side to receive data from and store data within said remote database.

15. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each said at least one indication means has at most one said user-associated content category corresponding thereto and each said user-associated content category has at most one said at least one indication means corresponding thereto.

16. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the user may manipulate said first electronic document by at least one of underlining, italicizing, bolding, striking, highlighting, coloring, circling, and free-hand drawing, which said manipulation to said first electronic document remains unless said manipulation is removed from said first electronic document by the user.

17. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the user may assign at least one identifier to said second electronic document, which said at least one identifier corresponds to a name or other identifying information of said second electronic document.