Abstract:
A computer implemented method, system, and computer-readable medium for modifying and creating networked documents ( 105 ). To create a document ( 105 ), the method includes the acts of reading a control sheet ( 340 ), reading a content sheet ( 340 ), and generating the document ( 350, 360 ) using the control sheet ( 405 ) and the content sheet ( 407 ). To modify a document ( 105 ), the method includes the acts of reading a control sheet ( 405 ) having commands, reading a content sheet ( 407 ) having content ( 340 ), retrieving the document ( 105 ) using a command from the command sheet ( 350 ); and modifying the document using the control sheet ( 405 ) and the content sheet ( 350 ). The content sheet includes content of the document ( 105 ) and the control sheet ( 405 ) specifies the location of the content on the Web page. Either or both of the control sheet ( 405 ) and content sheet ( 407 ) may include print content.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention pertains to the field of document processing and storage, and more particularly to the field of network-based document creation and modification. 
   DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND ART 
   The use of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has become widespread recently. For example, people use the WWW to find information, share resources, and research topics relating to their work. Setting up a document server, uploading data into it, organizing a this data in a suitable manner, building the desired links among the different data, building the desired links to other data in other document servers, maintaining the document server, and updating it as needed are difficult tasks. These tasks are currently performed by a trained professional “Webmaster” only. In addition, building a Web site is an ongoing process that requires long-term editorial management and technical maintenance. This requires the services of the professional Webmaster to be available for the duration of the life of the document server. 
   Thus, what is needed is an apparatus, method, and computer-readable medium that allows people to create and modify content that is stored on the WWW without use of a Webmaster. 
   DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
   The present invention includes a computer implemented method for creating a networked document, the method including the steps of: reading a control sheet ( 340 ); reading a content sheet ( 340 ); generating the document using the control sheet and the content sheet ( 350 ); and storing the document to the network ( 360 ). The control sheet identifies content in the control sheet to add to the document. In some embodiments, either or both of the control sheet ( 405 ) and content sheet ( 407 ) is or are print pages. 
   The present invention includes a computer implemented method for modifying a networked document, the method including the steps of: reading a control sheet ( 340 ), where the control sheet includes commands to modify the document; reading a content sheet ( 340 ), where the content sheet includes information to add or remove from the document; retrieving the document ( 350 ); modifying the document using the control sheet and the content sheet ( 350 ); and storing the document to the network ( 360 ). In some embodiments, either or both of the control sheet  405  and content sheet  407  is or are print pages. 
   The present invention will be more fully understood in light of the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other more detailed and specific objects and features of the present invention are more fully disclosed in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  depicts a block diagram of a suitable shared document management system  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  depicts a process  200  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  depicts a process  300  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  depicts in block diagram form a suitable document management system  400  that performs the process  300  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Embodiments of the present invention provide a system that allows multiple users to access and modify a document  105  that is available on the WWW or any network. The shared document  105  can be, for example, an HTML coded web page. A first embodiment of the present invention uses a personal computer (PC)  106  connected to the network  108  to create and modify shared documents  105 . The second and third embodiments use a modified document processor  402 , such as a scanner or photocopier, connected to network  108  to create and modify shared documents  105 . The second and third embodiments are suited for appliances that do not have an extended user interface as typically used with a conventional personal computer. 
   One advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that Web pages can be created and modified by people that lack knowledge of Internet-based document coding languages. Thus administrators with understanding and ability to program in Internet-based coding languages are not necessary to create and modify Internet-based documents. Accordingly, the speed at which Internet-based documents can be created and modified is increased. 
   First Embodiment 
     FIG. 1  depicts a block diagram of a suitable shared document management system  100  in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, system  100  includes a document server  102  interconnected to personal computer (PC)  106  using a network  108  (such as the Internet or any network of interconnected computers) and, for example, the TCP/IP protocol. Document server  102  may be any conventional computer that includes a CPU, memory  104 , and an input/output (I/O) device  107 . A suitable document server  102  may be, for example, a server available from SUN Microsystems. Personal computer  106  may be any conventional computer that includes a CPU, memory, I/O device, and visual display device. 
   In one embodiment, document server  102  stores document  105  in memory  104  and allows users of personal computer  106  to modify or post new documents to the memory  104  of document server  102  in accordance with process  200  described below with respect to FIG.  2 . The document  105  may be, for example, Web pages. In one embodiment, personal computer  106  provides users visual access to document  105  stored by document server  102  by executing a Web browser such as Netscape Navigator. In one embodiment, document server  102  and personal computer  106  execute software to provide the process  200 , described below, but embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware and/or firmware. 
     FIG. 2  provides a flow diagram that represents a process  200  performed by document server  102  and personal computer  106  (document server  102  and personal computer  106  communicate using network  108 ) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
   Process  200   
   In step  202 , a user provides a universal resource locator (URL) to the Web browser of personal computer  106  to request access to a document  105  in memory  104  of document server  102 . The document server  102  verifies whether the user is allowed to access document  105 . For example, the user is asked a series of questions to ensure that he has the correct credentials for updating document  105  in memory  104  or adding new documents to memory  104 . If the user passes all the tests of step  202 , the Web browser displays the requested document along-side graphical buttons labeled “UPDATE” and “UPLOAD”. If the user fails any test of step  202 , the user is merely allowed to view document  105  in memory  104 . 
   In step  204 , the user chooses whether to update a document in memory  104  or upload a lisp document to memory  104 . If the user chooses to upload a new document to the document server  102 , then step  206  follows; otherwise step  208  follows. 
   In step  206 , the Web browser queries the user for the location of the document to upload. For example, the document can be stored on a storage disk on the user&#39;s personal computer  106 , a storage disk in another personal computer  106 , or the document can be read from a scanner peripheral to the personal computer  106 . The user can either type in the desired storage location or use the Web browser to browse for it. 
   After the personal computer  106  locates the document to be uploaded, the personal computer  106  loads the computer coded version of the document, e.g., HTML, into the memory  104  of the document server  102 . If the document to be stored in memory  104  is read from a scanner peripheral to the user&#39;s personal computer  106 , the personal computer creates a computer coded version, e.g., HTML or JPEG, of the document. Step  212  follows. Step  210  follows step  206 . 
   If the user chooses to update an existing document  105  in step  204 , then in step  208 , the Web browser of the personal computer  106  prompts the user to identify the document in memory  104  to update. 
   In step  210 , the Web browser displays functions to apply to modify the document located in step  208  (“selected document”). The functions include, but are not limited to: 1) insert a new hyperlink into the selected document, 2) delete a hyperlink from this selected document, 3) delete the selected document, 4) delete a page or pages (e.g., text and/or graphics) from the selected document, 5) insert a page or pages into the selected document, and 6) change or set the style of the selected document. For example, where the document to be modified is a web page written in HTML, the conventional program would identify and modify or add, as the case may be, HTML code in the document. In connection with some functions, the user provides information that is to be added to or deleted from the selected document as well as information necessary to properly place or remove information in the selected document. 
   In step  210 , the user may choose from other functions related to the relationship of the selected document to other documents stored by the document server  102  such as: 1) show all the documents stored in the document server  102  that are referenced in the selected document, 2) show all the documents stored in the document server  102  referencing this selected document, 3) delete the reference to this selected document in another document stored in the document server  102 , and 4) insert a new reference to the selected document in another document stored in the document server  102 . The user may locate referencing documents by querying the document server  102  to identify referencing documents. For example, the document server  102  may search for referencing documents by searching for tags previously created in a step similar to step  212  described below. 
   In step  212 , the document server  102  allows the user to format the selected document to identify the selected document in multiple ways such as: 1) the location of the selected document in the overall organization of the document server, 2) the category of the selected document, 3) the keywords by which to search for the selected document, 4) the documents in the document server  102  to reference, 5) the documents in the document server  102  that reference the selected document, 6) creation of the table of content for the selected document, and 7) creation of image maps for the selected document. Thus step  212  allows users to manage the organization of documents stored in document server  102 . 
   In step  214 , the personal computer  106  stores the selected document to the document server  102 . 
   Second Embodiment 
   A second embodiment of the present invention uses system  100  described earlier, except the personal computer  106  of system  100  may be replaced with the document management system  400  described with respect to  FIG. 4 , to perform an embodiment of the present invention described with respect to FIG.  3 . Steps  310  to  360  of process  300  may be implemented as software, hardware, or firmware, or any combination thereof. 
     FIG. 4  depicts in block diagram form a suitable document management system  400 . Document processor  402  is any conventional document processor, such as a copying machine having a display device, memory, ability to connect to the Internet, and that is adapted to perform process  300  described in more detail below with respect to FIG.  3 . 
   Like personal computer  106  of the embodiment described with respect to process  200 , document processor  402  accesses document server  102  using the network  108  and allows users to modify or store documents on document server  102 . In this embodiment, a user creates “control sheets”  405 , printed onto physical paper, using a conventional word processor  404 . The control sheets include commands recognizable by the document processor  402 . The document processor  402  reads the control sheets  405  to determine whether and how to modify documents stored on the document server  102  or whether to create documents. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , in step  310 , a user prepares a control sheet  405  using, for example, word processor  404  and prints the control sheet  405  onto physical paper. This control sheet  405  includes commands that the user expects to subsequently use such as the functions described earlier with respect to step  210  of FIG.  2 . 
   In step  320 , the user provides the control sheet  405  to the document processor  402  for scanning. The document processor  402  extracts commands from the control sheet using, for example, optical character recognition (OCR). The document processor  402  then displays the commands using a display device  406  and the user verifies the commands were properly read and corrects characters or commands where applicable using, for example, an electronic key pad  408 . The document processor  402  stores the commands of the registered control sheet  405  into its memory. Step  320  trains the document processor  402  to recognize commands that the user expects to use. 
   In step  330 , the user stacks a control sheet on top of a sheet with printed content (“content sheet”  407 ) (collectively, “batch”) and provides the batch to the paper loading tray of the document processor  402 . In this embodiment, each control sheet includes printed commands that are associated with information printed on a content sheet  407 . For example, the content sheet  407  may include a picture and the associated control sheet  405  includes commands to create a new document with the picture positioned in a particular location on the document as viewed. As another example, the content sheet  407  may include a text Web site address and the associated control sheet identifies the text Web site address as a hyperlink to be positioned at a specific location on a Web page. Multiple batches can be loaded into the paper loading tray of the document processor  402 . 
   In step  340 , the user instructs the document processor  402  to scan the batch. The document processor  402  scans the contents of the batch into a buffer or memory  409  as a graphics file. The document processor  402  stores other information related to the batch such as scan date, scan time, user, and machine used. The document processor  402  also applies conventional image cleaning programs to sharpen the stored images for better accuracy or to correct for skew if necessary. The document processor  402  further applies a conventional optical character recognition program to extract information from the content sheet and control sheet, such as the location of text in the content sheet  407  and the location of graphics in the content sheet  407 . 
   In step  350 , the document processor  402  executes the commands most recently read from a control sheet  405 . For example, where a new document is to be created, the document processor  402  uses a conventional technique to create an empty HTML file, then includes the content identified in a content sheet at the desired position on the document (as viewed) and then formats the document, as in step  212  of process  200 , in accordance with the commands in the control sheet  405 , and then stores the document to the document server  102 . In another example, the document processor  402  loads and modifies a document stored by the document server  102  according to the commands of the control sheet  405  by adding content, in the associated content sheet, to the identified document. 
   Steps  330  to  350  repeat until no more batches are present in the paper tray of the document processor  402 . 
   In step  360 , the document management system  400  stores the document to memory  104  of document server  102 . 
   In a third embodiment of the present invention, the control sheet and content sheet may be in electronic form thereby eliminating the use of steps  320  and  330  of process  300 . 
   Modifications 
   The above description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiments and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims. From the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art that would yet be encompassed by the spirit and scope of the present invention.