System and method for managing content on a network interface

• US 7,472,170 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US10/366,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/238, 709/220, 709/227, 709/206, 709/218, 709/224, 709/229, 705/25, 705/26, 719/328
• US Class Current: 709/218
• 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 comprising a start date, a user characteristic, an end date, an application characteristic, a business rule, an organization characteristic, a transaction characteristic, a content provider characteristic, and an event;

a content subsystem, including a Web site, a configurable application comprising 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, and a configurable link comprising at least one of a uniform resource indicator and a TCP/IP address;

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

wherein said network interface management system provides for automatically embedding said configurable link on said Web site in accordance with said start date;

wherein said network interface management system provides for automatically removing said configurable link from said Web site in accordance with said end date;

wherein said configurable link points to said configurable application;

wherein said interface subsystem further including a plurality of portals comprising 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; and

wherein input characteristics are captured by said first portal and said second portal in a substantially simultaneous manner.

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

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

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said input view includes at least one of an administration and a maintenance view.

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

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said Web site is one of an intranet Web site, an extranet Web site, or an Internet Web site.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said content interface provides for capturing said plurality of input characteristics from at least one of a non-technical content provider and an author.

8. The system of claim 1, said content subsystem further including a plurality of configurable applications and 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.

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

10. The system of claim 1, said content subsystem further including a plurality of configurable application comprising 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.

11. The system of claim 10, said content subsystem further including a plurality of configurable application comprising a news application, a document library application, a project portfolio application, a company bios application, a newsletter application, and an events application.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of business rules, wherein said configurable link and said configurable application is generated with said plurality of business rules.

13. The system of claim 12, 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.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of profiles associated with said portal, wherein said configurable link and said configurable application is generated with said plurality of profiles.

15. The system of claim 14, 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.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of profiles includes a subscriber-profile.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of Web sites and a plurality of organizations, wherein said plurality of organizations modify said plurality of Web sites with said system.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of organizations modifies said plurality of Web sites in a substantially simultaneous manner.

19. A network interface management system, comprising:

an interface subsystem, including a plurality of portal configured to capture a plurality of input characteristics comprising a user characteristic, a start date, an end date, an application characteristic, a business rule, an organization characteristic, a transaction characteristic, a content provider characteristic, and an event;

a content subsystem, including a Web site, a plurality of configurable applications comprising 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, and a plurality of configurable links comprising at least one of a uniform resource indicator and a TCP/IP address;

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

wherein said configurable links are embedded on said Web site in accordance with said start date;

wherein said configurable links are removed from said Web site in accordance with said end date;

wherein said network interface management system provides for automatically embedding one or more said configurable links pointing to said generated configurable applications on said Web site

wherein said plurality of portals comprising 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; and

wherein input characteristics are captured by said first portal and said second portal in a substantially simultaneous manner.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said configurable applications are generated without human intervention.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein a plurality of organizations access said plurality of portals.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said plurality of organizations are charged a periodic subscription fee from an Application Service Provider.

23. The system of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of business rules and a plurality of profiles, wherein said system selectively generates one or more of said configurable applications from said plurality of business rules and said plurality of profiles.

24. The system of claim 23, 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.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein said plurality of applications is associated with a plurality of predetermined application types.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said plurality of predetermined application types include 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.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said first portal triggers a modification in a first application, and wherein said second portal triggers a modification in a second application.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one said configurable link is a static code program.

29. A method, comprising:

defining a plurality of profiles for a plurality of users;

capturing a plurality of input characteristics comprising a user characteristic, a start date, an end date, an application characteristic, an organization characteristic, a transaction characteristic, a content provider characteristic, and an event from said plurality of users;

selectively generating a plurality of configurable applications from said plurality of input characteristics, said configurable applications comprising 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;

scheduling a start date and end date for said plurality of configurable applications based on said plurality of input characteristics;

embedding a plurality of links pointing to said plurality of configurable applications into a Web site in accordance with said start date, wherein said Web site is preformatted with respect to the location of said configurable applications;

removing said plurality of links from said Web site in accordance with said end date

wherein said plurality of portals comprising 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; and

wherein input characteristics are captured by said first portal and said second portal in a substantially simultaneous manner.