Michael L Moran

US Patent:

60146621, Jan 11, 2000

Filed:

Nov 26, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/979806

Inventors:

Michael Edward Moran - Ridgewood NJ
Jeffrey Stephen Schaffer - Ridgefield CT

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707 3

Abstract:

A user interface is provided that performs much of the work in searching and organizing of search data. It defines search terms and sources ahead of time for subjects that have wide usage, or are suggested by the user. It then organizes collections of search documents pertaining to a selected subject into a book divided into sections according to topics about the subject. Each section of the book is represented by a tab on the book that can be used to select between the various topics in the book. The books can be used to organize information from numerous sources about any number of subjects including companies, products, industries, geographies and people. Standard books can be personalized to fit the users need. For example, the content and organization of a book on a company can be changed depending on whether the user of the book owns the company's stock, competes with the company, or sells products to it. Preferably, the books are automatically updated with an update event occurs, and provide an indication on the screen that an event has occurred.

US Patent:

51465523, Sep 8, 1992

Filed:

Feb 28, 1990

Appl. No.:

7/486461

Inventors:

Elie Cassorla - Croton-on-Hudson NY
Jacqueline P. de Vries - Mahwah NJ
Michael E. Moran - Spring Valley NY
James J. Slater - Boulder CO
Jay Unger - Mohegan Lake NY

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1500

US Classification:

395145

Abstract:

The operating principle permits a reader of an electronically published document to create notes, bookmarks, or annotations and relate them to a particular location in the document. The record of such annotations or "place marks" can be stored within or separately from the published material. Annotations stored separately from the originally published document are associated by name with the document and can either be accessed by a particular individual reader and/or shared and exchanged between individuals with access to the same (or copies of the) published electronic document for a variety of purposes. The attachment of annotations is a capability provided to the reader of an electronic document and does not require any specific preparation on the part of the writer or editor of an electronic document. The association of annotations with a particular context within the document exploits the fact that the writer in constructing an electronically published document has indicated the structure of the document by "marking up" the material and identifying major document elements such as chapters, sections, sub-sections, paragraphs, figures, etc. It also uses relative position within the "finest" identified document element to fix the precise position of some annotations that the reader wants to pinpoint to a particular line or word position.