Method and system for using a communications network to archive and retrieve bibliography information and reference material

• US 7,178,097 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2000
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Talsk Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Srikrishna Talluri
• Inventors: Talluri, Srikrishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc A.
• Application Number:
  US09/711,791
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/522, 715/526, 715/501, 715/511, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/200, 707/201, 707/204, 345/805, 705/26, 705/27, 705/104, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 514/4, 434/169
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• 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 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and system for using a communications network such as the Internet to archive and retrieve bibliography information and reference material cited in a manuscript includes a first communications device connected to the Internet for an author of a manuscript to use. The author uses the first communications device to transfer identification of reference material cited by the author in the manuscript to the Internet. A second communications device is connected to the Internet for an audience of the manuscript to use. The audience uses the second communications device to request and receive a copy of the reference material cited by the author in the manuscript from the Internet. A database is connected to the Internet to communicate with the author and the audience via the Internet. The database receives the identification of reference material cited by the author from the author. The database stores a copy of the reference material and a distinctive key associated with the copy of the reference material. The database transmits a copy of the reference material to the audience in response to receiving a request from the audience for a copy of the reference material. The reference material cited by the author in the manuscript may be a website, an e-mail, a digital file, and traditional media such as a paper book or magazine.

Claims

1. A system for archiving reference material cited in a bibliography of a manuscript by an author of the manuscript, the system comprising:

a database connected to the Internet;

a first communications device connected to the Internet, wherein an author of a manuscript uses a web site on the Internet as a reference for the manuscript, wherein the author uses the first communications device to transmit the addresses of the web site to the database;

wherein the database obtains a copy of the web site from the Internet upon receiving the web site address from the author such that the copy of the web site obtained by the database is verbatim to the web site as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the web site address to the database, wherein the database stores the copy of the web site along with a distinctive key associated with the copy of the web site;

wherein the author cites the web site as being a reference for the manuscript by listing identification of the web site along with the distinctive key in the bibliography of the manuscript, wherein an audience of the manuscript obtains the distinctive key from the bibliography of the manuscript; and

a second communications device connected to the Internet, wherein the audience uses the second communications device to transmit the distinctive key to the database in order to request the database for the copy of the web site;

wherein the database transmits a copy of the stored copy of the web site to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to receiving the distinctive key from the audience such that the copy of the web site received by the audience is verbatim to the web site as on the Internet at the time the author transferred the web site address to the database.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the stored copy of the web site in the database is immutable.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the database associates the distinctive key with the copy of the web site upon receiving the copy of the web site from the Internet and transmits the distinctive key to the author via the Internet and the first communications device.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the database stores the web site address along with the copy of the web site and the distinctive key.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the author uses an e-mail as a reference for the manuscript, wherein the author transmits a copy of the e-mail to the database using the first communications device for storage of the copy of the e-mail by the database;

wherein the database transmits a copy of the e-mail to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to receiving a request from the audience for a copy of the e-mail.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the author uses a digital file as a reference for the manuscript, wherein the author transmits a copy of the digital file to the database using the first communications device for storage of the copy of the digital file by the database;

wherein the database transmits a copy of the digital file to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to receiving a request from the audience for a copy of the digital file.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the author uses a paper book as a reference for the manuscript, wherein the author transmits an electronic scanned copy of the paper book to the database using the first communications device for storage of the electronic scanned copy by the database;

wherein the database transmits an electronic copy of the paper book to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to receiving a request from the audience for an electronic copy of the paper book.

8. A method for archiving reference material cited in a bibliography of a manuscript by an author of the manuscript, the method comprising:

an author of a manuscript using a web site on the Internet as a reference for the manuscript;

the author transmitting the address of the webs site to a database connected to the Internet using a first communications device connected to the Internet;

the database obtaining a copy of the web site from the Internet upon receiving the web site address from the author such that the copy of the web site obtained by the database is verbatim to the web site as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the web site address to the database;

associating a distinctive key to the copy of the web site;

storing at the database the copy of the web site with the distinctive key;

the author citing the web site as being a reference for the manuscript by listing identification of the web site along with the distinctive key in the bibliography of the manuscript;

an audience of the manuscript obtaining the distinctive key from the bibliography of the manuscript;

the audience transmitting the distinctive key to the database using a second communications device connected to the Internet in order to request the database for the copy of the web site; and

the database transmitting a copy of the stored copy of the web site to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to the database receiving the distinctive key from the audience such that the copy of the web site transmitted from the database to the audience is verbatim to the web site as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the web site address to the database.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the stored copy of the web site in the database is immutable.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

associating the distinctive key with the copy of the web site is done by the database;

the method further comprising transmitting the distinctive key from the database to the author via the Internet and the first communications device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein:

storing at the database a copy of the web site with the distinctive key includes storing the web site address along with the copy of the web site and the distinctive key.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein associating the distinctive key to the copy of the web site further comprises:

the database transferring the distinctive key to the author via the Internet and the first communications device for the author to list in the bibliography of the manuscript.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein:

associating the distinctive key to the copy of the web site is done by the author;

the method further comprising the author transmitting the distinctive key to the database using the first communications device.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

the author using an e-mail as a reference for the manuscript;

the author transmitting a copy of the e-mail to the database using the first communications device for storage of the copy of the e-mail by the database; and

the database transmitting a copy of the e-mail to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to the database receiving a request for a copy of the e-mail from the audience.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

the author using a digital file as a reference for the manuscript;

the author transmitting a copy of the digital file to the database using the first communications device for the storage of the copy of the digital file by the database; and

the database transmitting a copy of the digital file to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to the database receiving the request for a copy of the digital file from the audience.

16. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

the author using a paper book as a reference for the manuscript;

the author transmitting an electronic scanned copy of the paper book to the database using the first communications device for storage of the electronic scanned copy by the database; and

the database transmitting a copy of the electronic scanned copy of the paper book to the audience via the Internet and the second communications device in response to the database receiving a request for a copy of the electronic scanned copy of the paper book from the audience.

17. A system for storing a reference material using a communications network, the system comprising:

a first communications device connected to the communications network for an author of a manuscript to use, wherein the author uses the first communications device to transfer a copy of the reference material and reference material availability information to the communications network, wherein the author lists in the manuscript a distinctive key associated with both the copy of the reference material and the reference material availability information;

a second communications device connected to the communications network for an audience of the manuscript to use, wherein the audience uses the second communications device to request and receive a copy of the reference material and the reference material availability information from the communications network; and

a database connected to the communications network to communicate with the author and the audience via the communications network, wherein the database receives a copy of the reference material and the reference material availability information from the author, wherein the database stores an immutable copy of the reference material and the reference material availability information and the distinctive key associated with the copy of the reference material and the reference material availability information;

wherein, if the reference material is available, the database transmits a copy of the reference material to the audience in response to receiving a request having the distinctive key from the audience for a copy of the reference material;

wherein, if the reference material is not available, the database transmits a copy of the reference material availability information to the audience in response to receiving a request having the distinctive key from the audience for a copy of the reference material.

18. A system for archiving a web site cited in a manuscript by an author of the manuscript, the system comprising:

a database connected to the world wide web;

a first communications device connected to the world wide web, wherein an author of a manuscript uses a web site on the web as a reference for the manuscript, wherein the author uses the first communications device to transfer identification of the web site to the database;

wherein the database obtains a copy of the web site from the web upon receiving the web site identification from the author such that the copy of the web site obtained by the database is verbatim to the web site as on the web at the time the author transmitted the web site identification to the database, wherein the database associates a distinctive key with the copy of the web site, stores the copy of the web site along with the distinctive key, and transmits the distinctive key to the author via the web and the first communications device;

wherein the author cites the web site as being a reference for the manuscript by listing the web site identification along with the distinctive key in the manuscript, wherein an audience of the manuscript obtains the distinctive key from the manuscript; and

a second communications device connected to the web, wherein the audience uses the second communications device to transmit the distinctive key to the database in order to request the database for the copy of the web site;

wherein the database transfers a copy of the stored copy of the web site to the audience via the web and the second communications device in response to receiving the distinctive key from the audience such that the copy of the web site received by the audience is verbatim to the web site as on the web at the time the author transferred the web site identification to the database.

19. A method for archiving a web site cited in a manuscript by an author of the manuscript, the method comprising:

transferring identification of a web site, cited by an author of a manuscript as a reference for the manuscript, to a database connected to the world wide web;

transferring a copy of the web site from the web to the database in response to the database receiving the web site identification such that the copy of the web site transferred to the database is verbatim to the web site as on the web at the time the web site identification was transferred to the database;

associating a unique key with the copy of the web site;

storing the copy of the web site with the unique key in the database;

the author citing the web site as being a reference for the manuscript by listing the unique key in the manuscript;

an audience of the manuscript obtaining the unique key from the manuscript;

the audience transmitting the unique key to the database in order to request the database for the copy of the web site; and

transferring a copy of the stored copy of the web site from the database to the audience via the web in response to the database receiving the unique key from the audience.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

associating the unique key with the copy of the web site is done by the author.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein:

associating the unique key with the copy of the web site is done by the database.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein:

storing the copy of the web site with the unique key in the database includes storing the web site identification, the copy of the web site, and the unique key.

23. A method for archiving information cited in a manuscript, the method comprising:

citing a web site in a manuscript;

prior to any modifications to the web site after the web site has been cited in the manuscript, transferring a web site address to a database via the Internet, wherein the web site address identifies the address of the web site on the Internet;

providing a copy of the web site from the Internet to the database in response to the web site address being transferred to the database such that the copy of the web site provided to the database is verbatim to the web site as on the Internet at the time the web site was cited in the manuscript;

assigning a unique key to the copy of the web site;

storing the copy of the web site with the unique key in the database;

wherein citing the web site in the manuscript includes listing the unique key in the manuscript;

an audience of the manuscript obtaining the unique key from the manuscript; and

transferring a copy of the stored copy of the web site from the database to the audience via the Internet in response to a request containing the unique key from the audience for a copy of the web site such that the copy of the web site transferred to the audience is verbatim to the web site as on the Internet at the time the web site was cited in the manuscript.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

accessing the Internet to locate the web site prior to citing the web site in the manuscript.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein:

assigning the unique key with the copy of the web site is done by the database.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

transferring the unique key from the database to an author of the manuscript via the Internet, wherein listing the unique key in the manuscript is done by the author.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein:

citing the web site in the manuscript includes the author listing the web site address, the unique key, and the time at which the web site was accessed in the manuscript.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein:

the audience transfers the unique key to the database via the Internet.