Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-25
2002-06-25
Choules, Jack M (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C709S204000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06411965
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method which allows any one of a plurality of users to interactively edit, in real time, a given graphics and/or text/data file. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method which permit any or all of a plurality of users at remotely located personal computers to edit a file resident in one of the computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
For hundreds of years, authors have, had to rely on highly skilled craftsmen to convert their hand-written or type-written manuscripts and artistic renderings into typeset galleys and artwork suitable for reproduction by printing. Yet, most recently, centuries of skill and tradition have been overturned by a new development in the computer industry called desktop publishing.
Desktop publishing has become possible due to the ever increasing power of personal computers, new and affordable output devices such as laser printers, and more powerful software, including page description languages, such as Postscript. Desktop publishing can now allow an individual or business to quickly and inexpensively produce attractive and professional newsletters, brochures, reports, advertisements, etc., using a single personal computer workstation.
It follows that, since expensive typesetting and printing equipment is no longer necessary to produce professional looking printed products, an entire new industry has opened up for small graphics and publishing businesses to produce affordable, custom-tailored, professional-looking, printed products for a wide variety of individual and corporate clients. An example of one such industry where desktop publishing has opened significant new opportunities is the production of periodic publications, e.g. the newsletter industry.
Newsletters are periodical publications which contain news or information, usually of a timely nature, which is of interest to a specific group of people. Businesses often use newsletters for promotional purposes and/or to keep in touch with existing clients, or to motivate and/or inform their own employees.
Frequently, rather than produce a newsletter itself, a business will contract with a specialized outside newsletter publisher to write, edit, typeset copy, produce final art, and print the completed newsletter. In this case, the newsletter publisher will most likely provide a basic graphic format for the newsletter, and will also be in possession of particular articles which will be of interest to a variety of readers. For example, an article providing financial advice would be suitable for newsletters that several different banks might wish to provide to their clients. An article designed to motivate employees would be suitable for newsletters that many different companies may wish to provide to their own employees.
It is critical to note, however, that in almost all cases the graphics and editorial content each corporate customer's newsletter must be custom tailored to that individual corporate customer. And while the actual production of the newsletter has been made more economical with the development of desktop publishing, a major new problem has emerged, which is how to perform effective editing of the newsletter in a timely fashion when the publisher and the customer are remotely located. Obviously, it is imperative that the customer be happy with the final product, and yet, the time required for the interactive editing process cannot be so lengthy as to cause the information contained in the newsletter to become stale.
The problem of timing and coordination of this editing process becomes exponentially acute when, as is often the case, more than two approval entities are involved at different locations. For example, at a client bank the newsletter publisher may need to coordinate and get input/approvals from three or more separate departments such as marketing, legal and branch administration. Or, another example is the client may be at one location, say Kansas City. The newsletter firm is in Denver and the client's advertising agency, which is also involved in the project, is in San Francisco.
One method for the remote editing of a newsletter at one or more remote locations has been for the newsletter publisher to actually send a computer diskette having the newsletter stored thereon by mail to its customer. The customer then reviews the newsletter on its own personal computer and makes any desired changes. However, this method requires a relatively sophisticated customer, and can be time consuming, especially if more than two mailings of the diskette is necessary. Inevitably, information in the newsletter may become stale, and deadlines for periodical newsletters—particularly weekly and monthly newsletters—become difficult to meet.
A second method for the remote editing of a newsletter has been performed utilizing dedicated facsimile machines, and/or PCs which are capable of sending and receiving facsimiles through software, added hardware and modems. According to this method, the newsletter publisher sends a hard copy version of the newsletter to the customer via its facsimile machine. The customer then indicates any desired changes on the proposed newsletter, and sends a copy of the edited newsletter back to the newsletter publisher by facsimile. This editing method, too, can take several exchanges, given the uneven quality of transmission, misinterpretation of editing notes, and normal office delays in routing, actually reviewing, and forwarding documents, until the newsletter meets the customer's approval.
A third method has been the use of telephone conversations with the customer, and via a conference call if more than two parties are involved. This by itself is the weakest of the three methods. As each person does not actually see the newsletter, misunderstandings are bound to occur, resulting in a dissatisfied customer. Using telephone conversations to augment the first two methods is an improvement, but each person may not have the latest version of the newsletter before them, and it is not a cure-all.
The inventor of the present invention believes the most desirable editing method is for all parties involved with both the customer and the publisher to be able to simultaneously view and interactively edit the graphics and/or text of the proposed newsletter as stored in the publisher's personal computer on their respective personal computers. Heretofore, the technology has not been available for even considering such a system on the personal computer level.
To be sure, remote information transfer has been possible for some time, including smoke signals, semaphore and telegraphy. In the computer context, however, data transfer has been predominantly one-way, and point-to-point. Similar to a water pipe, when the spigot is opened at the receiving end, a first computer can pump data in a one-way flow to a second computer. Later on, the second computer can reverse the process, and send data back to the first computer. As can be seen, however, it is almost always a start/stop discontinuous process and also point-to-point involving usually only two computers.
Recently, software has been introduced that permits the user to view the operations of a second computer and, in some cases, to even control that second computer if necessary. Such software has been useful in remote trouble-shooting and software diagnostics. In this case, data is transferred point-to-point between the two computers by conventional data transfer means, such as over a standard telephone line using modems at each location. While it is conceivable that such software could permit the user of a second personal computer at a remote location to view work being performed on a file by the user of first personal computer, drawbacks to this method of potential newsletter editing are several.
First, the method would normally only work with two users. The software is not designed to support a plurality of users at separate remote locations. Second, data transfer speed is slow,
Choules Jack M
EdiSync Systems LLC
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