Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-04-25
2001-02-20
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C707S793000, C709S203000, C709S219000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191786
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to computer networks, and more particularly to tools for building a network site.
The Internet is a world-wide network of interlinked networks connected by specific protocols (e.g., the Internet Protocol (IP)). The Internet provides for file transfer, remote login, electronic mail, news and other services. The World Wide Web (the “Web”) is a hypertext based system for finding and accessing Internet resources. Hypertext refers to specific content elements within a document that contain links to other documents. A user desiring to retrieve information from the Web invokes a browser, a client program that runs on a client computer (Windows, Mac or UNIX environment), allowing a user to display documents retrieved from the Web.
Information is organized on the Web in web sites. A web site is a collection of linked files resident on a server that may be accessed by a browser application. Typically, the web site contains an initial page (the “home page”), which is displayed when the browser first accesses the site. The web site may include one or more other pages which may be accessed by selecting links resident on the home page or other pages within the web site.
The process of constructing a web site includes identifying content for display, structuring the content, building the web site, and transferring the final product to a web server. The process of building the web site includes creating the hypertext mark-up language (HTML) associated with the links for a particular page of content.
After a web site has been constructed, the HTML files (pages) are stored in a file structure. As was described above, the pages of the web site contain one or more links to other pages in the site. The links provide a navigational structure for traversing pages in the web site.
A conventional file structure includes one or more structural elements and files. Examples of structural elements are folders or directories. A folder is a placeholder for files designated at the same hierarchical level. A directory is a placeholder for one or more folders or files. Directories and folders themselves do not contain content and merely provide a hierarchy for the storage of files. Files include content and are elements in the hierarchy. However, files are not used to define the hierarchy. That is, in conventional file systems, individual files do not contain sub-structure or super-structure. Sub-structure refers to files related to a given file but at a next hierarchical level below the given file in the file structure. Conversely, super-structure refers to files related to a given file but at a next hierarchical level above the given file in the file structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, in one aspect, the invention provides a tool for specifying the hierarchy of pages in a web site that includes a graphical user interface providing a window including a display space for displaying a navigational structure for the web site on an output device. The tool includes an import tool for selecting a page to be displayed in the web site from a file structure, a placement tool for placing the page into the navigational structure and a structure routine for assigning a navigational relationship to a page relative to other pages in the web site as each is placed in the navigational structure.
Preferred embodiments of the invention include the following features. The navigational structure is displayed in a tree format or an organizational chart format. The structure routine receives a user input indicating a location of a related page in the navigational structure generally located near the location in the navigational structure that the page is to be placed and which is related by navigational links to the page.
The placement tool places the page at the same, the next higher or the next lower hierarchical level in the navigational structure as the related page.
In another aspect, the invention provides a computer program, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, containing instructions for causing a computer to select a plurality of files for inclusion in a web site where the files are stored in a physical file structure, assign a navigational relationship between the files and represent the navigational relationship between files in a navigational structure for display to a user on an output device.
Preferred embodiments of the invention include the following features. The navigational structure is a tree format or an organizational chart format. The computer program may include instructions for causing a computer to display the navigational structure or a textual description of the navigational structure in a window on an output device by a graphical user interface.
In another aspect, the invention provides an apparatus for storing related information including a memory for storing a plurality of files and a file structure in which each file includes a navigational relationship to at least one other file in the file structure. The file structure including a plurality of hierarchical levels with at least one file per hierarchical level. The file structure defines a navigational relationship between the plurality of files. The files are the only structural elements in the file structure.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of organizing pages in a web site including creating a physical and a navigational file structure associated with the web site. The physical structure defines the physical location of each page in the web site and the navigational structure defines the navigational relationship between pages in the web site. The navigational structure may be modified without affecting the physical structure. The physical and navigational structures are merged at build time to create finished HTML pages which describe the web site.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of organizing pages in a web site including creating a navigational hierarchy which is separate from a physical hierarchy of pages to be contained within the web site and where the navigational hierarchy is defined by a data structure with no purely structural elements.
The invention has numerous advantages. The present invention provides a hierarchical structure for files which can advantageously be used in the construction and reconstruction of web sites. The data structure described herein separates the physical location of files from their structural relationship to other files in a navigational structure. Accordingly, changes to the navigational structure may be easily accomplished without affecting the physical location of any file.
Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5500929 (1996-03-01), Dickinson
patent: 5546517 (1996-08-01), Marks et al.
patent: 5625781 (1997-04-01), Cline et al.
patent: 5644736 (1997-07-01), Healy et al.
patent: 5694594 (1997-12-01), Chang
patent: 5708825 (1998-01-01), Sotomayor
patent: 5724595 (1998-03-01), Gentner
patent: 5793966 (1998-08-01), Amstein et al.
patent: 5801702 (1998-09-01), Dolan et al.
Eyzaguirre Alan K.
Quinto Kai L.
Wishnie Jeffrey L.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Thai Cuong T.
LandOfFree
Navigational file system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Navigational file system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Navigational file system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2611568