Content distribution system for network environments

• US 6,772,396 B1
• Filed: 10/07/1999
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Jong S., Cronin, Dennis G., Dryfoos, Michael G., Quenneville, Mark T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUDWIG, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US09/415,195
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 707/523, 707/517, 707/513, 345/629, 345/760, 345/788, 715/500.1, 715/517, 715/523, 715/524, 715/513
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A method and apparatus for republishing content to multiple target server computers such that the content is automatically customized for each target site. Users on client computers can then view the customized content by connecting to the target sites through the Internet or another network. In one aspect, a source site receives content from one or more journalist client computers and automatically republishes the content to multiple target sites. The source site includes a database engine having procedures stored thereon that contain the custom section hierarchy of the target sites. The custom section hierarchy is used to map a story on the source site to any predetermined section on the target site. In another aspect, a difference engine determines stories that need to be republished by comparing a list of potential stories to be republished to a list of stories already published on a target site. This comparison includes analyzing time stamps and a browse order of the stories in both lists and only republishing stories that have changed. In another aspect, a binder is used to further customize the stories for each target site. The binder applies style sheets containing customization information to the stories. The style sheets change the look and feel of the story to customize the story for the target site. For example, the style sheets can be used to customize the location of a picture, add a header, add a deck, customize the font, etc. In yet another aspect, a status table is used to track each republication job as content is customized for each target site. The status table allows multiple jobs to be republished simultaneously either through parallel processing or multithreading.

Claims

1. In a network environment with a source site including at least one server computer coupled to multiple target sites associated with at least one respective server computer, a method of republishing content to the multiple target sites, comprising:

storing format information indicating target-specific publication formats for publishing content on the multiple target sites;

storing content in a first publication format at the source site; and

automatically republishing the stored content to the multiple target sites by converting the stored content from the first publication format to multiple target-specific publication formats customized for the respective multiple target sites by using the format information associated with the respective multiple target sites;

wherein a journalist client computer is coupled to the source site and wherein the journalist client computer has a client publishing application running thereon and the republishing occurs upon receiving a publish command from the client publishing application running on the journalist client computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the format information includes a site hierarchy of each target site, the site hierarchy including topic headings and stories associated with the headings.

3. The method of claim 2 including:

providing a hierarchy of content on the source site; and

remapping the hierarchy of the content stored on the source site to the hierarchy of the target site.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is a story and the first publication format includes text of the story and an image associated with the news story.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the publication format on at least one of the target sites includes the text of the story, but without the image associated with the story.

6. The method of claim 1 further including storing legal restrictions associated with content displayed on the target sites.

7. The method of claim 6 further including determining if content to be republished complies with the legal restrictions for a target site, and only republishing the content to the target site if displaying the content complies with the legal restrictions.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the source site determines content that changed since the source site last republished to a target site and republishing includes only republishing content to the target site that has changed.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically republishing includes converting the stored content to an XML file type.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically republishing includes creating an index file that summarizes content to be displayed on each target site.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the publication formats is to publish content formatted for a hand-held mobile device and another publication format is to publish content formatted for a monitor on a client computer.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the different publication formats include having a different arrangement of text and images within the content.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein republishing includes converting the content stored on the source site to an XML file type that identifies at least a heading for a story, an abstract for a story, and text for a story to be published on a target site.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein republishing includes reading XSL style sheets and applying the XSL style sheets to the content in XML to generate an output file in a publication format for a target site.

15. An apparatus for storing content on a source site and for republishing the stored content to multiple target sites on a network so that the target sites can display the stored content in a customized format, comprising:

storage on the source site that stores content including stories to be published;

an index generator coupled to the storage, the index generator for creating an index file that identifies at least a portion of a content-based section hierarchy of a target site and stories within the content-based section hierarchy that are to be republished to the multiple target sites; and

a journalist client computer having a client publishing application running thereon coupled to the source site, for generating a start message that identifies stories to be republished and that includes a target site identifier identifying a target site that the stories are to be republished on.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the index generator includes a content export manager coupled to the journalist client computer, the content export manager for receiving the start message from the journalist client computer and for invoking a procedure associated with the target site.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further including:

(a) a master index file identifying a section hierarchy of the target site and current stories published on the target site;

(b) a difference engine that reads the master index file and the index file created by the index generator and determines which stories have been updated or added to the current stories published on the target site;

(c) wherein the difference engine produces a difference index file that represents the updated or added stories; and

(d) a binder for dynamically building linking information by using the master index and placing the linking information into the stories.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the index generator includes a database engine having stored procedures thereon corresponding to each target site, the stored procedures for generating a list of stories to be published on the target site.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 further including a story converter that reads the content including the stories stored on the source site and that converts the stories to an XML file type.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further including a content store that stores a master index and the stories in an XML file type.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further including a binder that associates a story in an XML file type with an XSL style sheet corresponding with the target site to generate the final published story.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 further including a status table stored on the source site that tracks multiple jobs being republished in parallel.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 further including a story converter and a binder wherein the status table includes the status of the story converter and the binder for a current job.

24. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the index generator stores legal requirements associated with the target sites, the legal requirements identifying whether stories can be published on a target site.

25. An apparatus for automatically republishing content to multiple target sites in a customized format for the target sites, comprising:

a database engine located on a source site having stored procedures thereon that map a story stored on the source site into a custom site hierarchy of a target site;

a content export manager in communication with the database engine that receives a republish message for a section on a target site and that invokes one of the stored procedures associated with that section to map stories within the section into the custom site hierarchy of the target site and that generates an index file indicating the stories to be republished;

a difference engine in communication with the content export manager that reads the index file and compares the index file to a master index file indicating stories currently published on the target site, the difference engine generating a difference index file indicating stories from the index file that are new and need to be republished, but does not include stories identified in the index file that are already published on the target site according to the master index file;

a story converter that reads the difference index file and that converts stories stored on the source site and identified in the difference index file into an XML file type and stores the converted stories in a content store; and

a binder that reads the content store and that applies style sheets to the stories in the content store to customize the look and feel of the stories for the target site.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 including a validator that reads the content store and ensures that the content store matches the master index file and wherein the binder dynamically builds linking information into the stories using the master index file.

27. A method of republishing content, comprising:

receiving a start message to republish content on an identified target site;

reading a job definition file that associates the identified target site with a stored procedure;

invoking the stored procedure identified in the job definition file;

determining sections and stories to be republished according to a customized site hierarchy of the target site using the stored procedure that is invoked;

generating an index file of the stories determined to be republished;

generating a difference index file that indicates a difference between the index file and a master index file;

converting stories identified in the difference index file to a predetermined type; and

combining the stories in the predetermined type with style sheets to customize the arrangement of text and images in the stories for the target site.

28. A republication system, comprising a master index file that identifies stories currently published on a target site and a story store on a source site including stories available for publication and further including a difference engine that determines stories available in the story store for publication that are new or modified from stories identified in the master index file and wherein only stories in the story store identified by the difference engine are republished on the target sites.

29. A republishing system comprising a content store located on a source site and including content to be published to multiple target sites in a customized format and further including a master index file stored on the source site that identifies stories currently published on the target sites and a validator for comparing the stories in the master index to stories in the content store and for deleting any stories in the content store that are not identified in the master index.

30. A republishing system comprising a content store located on a source site and content to be published on multiple target sites in a customized format and further including a master index file stored on the source site that identifies stories currently published on the target sites and a binder that reads the master index file and uses the master index to dynamically build linking information into the stories that reference other stories on the target sites.