Patent ID: 7302638
Filing Date: 2007-11-27
Classification: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A system for providing information, where the system is configured to be capable of carrying out the operations of: making a first document available on a network so that the first document can be viewed over the network using a document viewing program executing on a client computer operated by a user, and so that the first document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and where included within the first document are a plurality of content portions, including a first content portion and a second content portion, each created by a first author; detecting that a second document includes a reference to the first content portion created by the first author, where the second document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and is an independent document that is not part of the first document, and where content included within the second document is created by a second author after the first content portion created by the first author is created by the first author; detecting that a third document includes a reference to the second content portion created by the first author, where the third document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and is an independent document that is not part of the first document, and where content included within the third document is created by a third author after the second content portion is created by the first author, and after detecting that the second document includes a reference to the first content portion, and after detecting that the third document includes a reference to the second content portion, receiving a request for the first document from the client computer operated by the user; responding to the request for the first document by transferring the first document over the network to the client computer operated by the user, and including within the first document the first content portion and the second content portion; and displaying the first document in the document viewing program executing at the client computer, where displayed within the document viewing program are (a) the first content portion, (b) a representation of the second document, (c) the second content portion, and (d) a representation of the third document, where the representation of the second document is automatically displayed within the document viewing program, meaning that the representation of the second document is displayed without requiring the user operating the client computer to be previously aware of the second document, and without requiring the first author to search for the second document, where the representation of the third document is automatically displayed within the document viewing program, meaning that the representation of the third document is displayed without requiring the user operating the client computer to be previously aware of the third document, and without requiring the first author to search for the third document, where the first document is displayed so that the representation of the second document can be selected by the user with an input device associated with the client computer while the first content portion is within the document viewing program, and so that the representation of the third document can be selected by the user with the input device while the second content portion is within the document viewing program.