System and method for managing file content

Details System and method for managing file content System and method for managing file content

2000-02-22

2002-10-29

Choules, Jack (Department: 2771)

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

Reexamination Certificate

active

06473749

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to the field of data management systems. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for managing file content that allows sub-file data structures, such as individual presentation slides, web pages, images, other suitable content, or suitable combinations of such data structures, to be submitted by content authors and searched by content users.
BACKGROUND
Data management systems are used to facilitate and control access to and maintenance of large quantities of data. Although modern digital technology allows vast quantities of data to be stored in a small volume, accessing and maintaining that data can be problematic. Presently, data is typically organized in files that can range in size from several kilobytes of digital data to megabytes or gigabytes of digital data.
In order to manage file data, existing data management systems index each file, and allow searching of content on a file-by-file basis. Some data management systems also include functionality to allow user-provided keywords to be manually associated with each file, and to associate user data with each file.
One drawback of these known data management systems is that they are file-based. Because the amount of data in a given file might exceed limitations of the indexing functionality of such data management systems, these known data management systems might be unable to index large numbers of large files. In addition, known data management systems do not allow a user to directly identify data structures within a large file, such as individual slides, images, web pages, or other suitable data structures. Instead, the user must first open the file, then perform a search of the data within the file. The user must then “cut and paste” portions of the file to another document.
The limited flexibility of existing data management systems limits the types of processes and functions that can be provided. As a result, many types of functionality that such programs can not provide are not apparent to users of such data management systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method for managing data are provided that overcome problems of known systems and methods for managing data.
In particular, a system and method for managing file content are provided that allow content authors to store data structures from a file in a data repository or structured storage. Content users may then perform searches to identify individual sub-file data structures, and may withdraw individual sub-file data structures without editing the file.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a system for managing file content, such as Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows™ presentation slides, is provided. The system includes an upload interface that can receive a file containing a sub-file data structure, such as a file containing one or more slides, from an upload client. The upload interface extracts index data from each sub-file data structure. The system also includes an index system that is connected to the upload interface. The index system can receive the index data from the upload interface and store the index data. A content storage system connected to the upload interface and the index system can receive sub-file data structure content for storage from the upload interface system, and can provide a storage address for locating each data structure to the index system. A download interface is connected to the index system and the content storage system, and can be used to identify data structures matching a query and to download the data structures to a download client.
The present invention provides numerous important technical advantages. One important technical advantage of the present invention is a system for managing file content that allows file content authors to store sub-file data structures in a centralized location, and that also allows file content users to readily search and access the stored data structures so as to assemble files from the sub-file data structures on demand. The present invention thus provides a direct interface to individual slides, images, web pages, other suitable content, or suitable combinations of such data structures, without requiring the user to manually open individual files, extract individual data structures, and assemble them into a new document.


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patent: 6038610 (2000-03-01), Belfiore et al.
patent: 6253208 (2001-06-01), Wittgreffe et al.

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