Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-12
2001-01-30
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2771)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182080
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the storage of documents. More specifically, the present invention allows the storage of multiple documents and other information within a single file.
2. The Prior State of the Art
Almost since the inception of the computer, users have interacted and performed useful work on a computer through specialized programs designed to perform various tasks. The specialized programs are often referred to as application programs. Application programs allow users to perform desired tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet creation, data entry, and so forth. Traditional interaction with application programs created a view for the user that was very application oriented. When a user wished to perform a certain task, the user would start execution of the desired application program and perform all interaction with the computer through the application program. For example, when a user wished to create a word processing document, the user would begin execution of the word processing program and create or edit the word processing document through the word processing program. Once a document had been created or edited, the document could be saved for later retrieval.
The process of interaction with the application program described above was, in large measure, dictated by the operating systems used in early computers. Many of these operating systems could accept only a limited number of commands. For example, early operating systems could identify and begin execution of an application program, but could not determine what to do with a file containing a document used by an application program. This situation thus required a user to first begin execution of an application program before opening or creating a document used by the application program. The result was that documents used by application programs took a very secondary role while application programs took a very visible role.
This situation began to change with the advent of operating systems that could associate a document with a particular application program. Such operating systems typically had a graphical user interface with documents and application programs depicted by icons. When a user “opened” a document, the operating system would begin execution of the appropriate application program and then load the document into the application program. With these new capabilities, documents could now assume a central role in the user's interaction with the computer. Application programs could thus be de-emphasized as simply a mechanism to perform various operations on a particular document. This view is it much closer to a user's perception of importance. From a user's point of view, the information contained in a document is the item of interest, not the application program.
Today, many users work with a wide range of applications, each providing particular capabilities or information necessary for a user. For example, for a given project a user may have multiple word processing documents, a spreadsheet, a database file, and several drawing files. This collection of documents may all relate to various aspects of the project and may all have relevance in certain contexts.
In today's business environment, the need to work collaboratively on a given project is steadily growing. Thus, there is a need for several individuals to work on groups and collections of documents and exchange information and work on the documents. At the same time, computing hardware has evolved to the point where many computers may be networked together through a Local Area Network (LAN) or other types of networks. Computer hardware thus supports widespread exchange of information. In addition, collections of documents may need to be routed among all members of a work group so that all may have input into the documents. Thus, two fundamental problems must be addressed. The first is the collection and organization of information and the second is the distribution of the collected information.
Traditional approaches to organizing and grouping such a collection of information have taken one of two approaches. The first approach collects and organizes information into a storage hierarchy that stores related information together. For example, a directory may be created on a disk and all information relating to a particular project may be stored and organized in that directory, and any associated subdirectories. Another approach utilizes document management programs to group various documents together and control access to those documents. In either case, the result is a group of documents that reside in a central repository and must be accessed in that repository and, in the case of the document management system, through a defined mechanism.
Both of the traditional approaches, to some extent, begin to take the focus off of the documents and the information contained therein. In addition, these approaches to organization may impose strict working rules or inhibit the free-flow collaboration of members of a work group. For example, if all documents are stored in a central directory, users must know the location of the documents. This requires using an application program or some other device to locate the desired documents. Also, there is little or no control over how various versions of the documents are managed. Finally, using such an approach creates great difficulties if copies of documents are to be routed among various members of a work group. If the individual documents are routed among the work group, whatever organization was imposed by the directory structure is lost.
Using a document management system has similar problems. Because access to the documents is controlled by the management system, there is no way to route documents among a work group and still have the controls of a document management system.
What is needed, therefore, is a mechanism that allows groups of individuals to exchange collections of documents and associated information in a manner that is as transparent as possible to the user. The exchange of information should work well in a LAN or other network environment. Furthermore, the paradigm used should be familiar to users so that users may easily adapt and incorporate the technology into their daily workflow.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing problems in the prior state of the art have been successfully overcome by the present invention, which is directed to a mechanism for storing and distributing a plurality of documents and other information in a single file. The present invention uses the convenient metaphor of an envelope to visually and intuitively represent the basic concept of the invention. The present invention provides a mechanism whereby multiple documents adapted for use with one or more application programs may be stored within a single file. Thus, documents associated with a single task or project may be grouped together and stored in a single container file, sometimes called a NetEnvelope (a trademark of Net Voyage Corporation) or simply an envelope. This envelope may then be sent to various members of a work group so that each may have access to the information contained in the collection of documents.
To facilitate transfer of information among various members of a work group, the present invention provides a mechanism whereby a container file may be routed to various members of the work group via email. The invention will take the routing information and store the information with the collection of documents in the envelope. Then an email message addressed to the first member of the routing list will be generated. Attached to the email message will be the container file containing the routing information and other documents. The email will be sent via an email transport. When the email reaches the first recipient, the first recipient may open it and read it. Because the routing information is stored within the envelope, it is easy to determine that the envelope is in the middle of a route. The user i
Alam Hosain T.
Corrielus Jean M.
Netvoyage Corporation
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
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