I lllll llllllll Ill lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll 111111111111111111111111111111111
`US007178097Bl
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Talluri
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,178,097 Bl
`Feb.13,2007
`
`(54) METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING A
`COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK TO
`ARCHIVE AND RETRIEVE BIBLIOGRAPHY
`INFORMATION AND REFERENCE
`MATERIAL
`
`12/1999 Chen et al.
`6,009,442 A
`6,460,036 Bl* 10/2002 Herz ........................... 707/10
`6,625,624 Bl *
`9/2003 Chen et al. ................. 7071204
`
`(Continued)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`(76)
`
`Inventor: Srikrishna Talluri, 23730 Pond Rd.
`Apt. #121, Southfield, MI (US) 48034
`
`U.S. Appl. No. 60/243,259.*
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 1091 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/711,791
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Nov. 13, 2000
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`(2006.01)
`G06F 15100
`(52) U.S. Cl. ...................... 715/501; 715/511; 715/740;
`705/7
`(58) Field of Classification Search ............. 715/501.1,
`715/522, 526, 501, 511; 707/4, 5, 10, 200,
`707/201, 204; 345/805; 705/26, 27, 104;
`709/201, 203, 217, 219; 514/4; 434/169
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`11/1994 Cohen et al. ............ 715/501.1
`6/1996 MacDonald
`9/1996 Bingham et al.
`3/1998 Herr-Hoyman et al.
`2/1999 Dozier et al.
`2/1999 Wolfe
`2/1999 Borovoy et al.
`8/1999 Messerly
`10/1999 Ebrahim .................. 715/501.1
`11/1999 Lang et al.
`11/1999 Shklar et al.
`11/1999 Hobbs ...........................
`
`5,367,621 A *
`5,530,899 A
`5,557,790 A
`5,727,156 A
`5,870,552 A
`5,870,770 A
`5,873,107 A
`5,941,944 A
`5,970,505 A *
`5,983,214 A
`5,983,267 A
`5,987,454 A *
`
`707/4
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner-William Bashore
`Assistant Examiner--Quoc A. Tran
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brooks Kushman P.C.
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A method and system for using a communications network
`such as the Internet to archive and retrieve bibliography
`information and reference material cited in a manuscript
`includes a first communications device connected to the
`Internet for an author of a manuscript to use. The author uses
`the first communications device to transfer identification of
`reference material cited by the author in the manuscript to
`the Internet. A second communications device is connected
`to the Internet for an audience of the manuscript to use. The
`audience uses the second communications device to request
`and receive a copy of the reference material cited by the
`author in the manuscript from the Internet. A database is
`connected to the Internet to communicate with the author
`and the audience via the Internet. The database receives the
`identification of reference material cited by the author from
`the author. The database stores a copy of the reference
`material and a distinctive key associated with the copy of the
`reference material. The database transmits a copy of the
`reference material to the audience in response to receiving a
`request from the audience for a copy of the reference
`material. The reference material cited by the author in the
`manuscript may be a website, an e-mail, a digital file, and
`traditional media such as a paper book or magazine.
`
`28 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets
`
`14
`
`AUTHOR
`OF
`MANUSCRIPT
`
`Identification of
`Internet Source Reference
`Material
`
`1) Internet Source Reference
`Material Identification
`2) Copy of the Internet
`Source Reference Material
`
`18
`
`Copy of the Internet
`Source Reference Material
`
`AUDIENCE
`OF
`MANUSCRIPT
`
`/{,
`
`1 of 12
`
`

`

`US 7,178,097 Bl
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`6,725,203 Bl *
`200210013828 Al*
`2002/0120648 Al*
`2002/0152215 Al*
`2005/0108626 Al*
`
`. ................... 705/14
`412004 Seet et al.
`1/2002 Kashiwabara et al. ...... 709/219
`8/2002 Ball et al .................... 707/511
`10/2002 Clark et al. ................... 707/10
`512005 Ong ........................... 715/511
`
`http://web.archive.org/ 19991008184803/chronicle.com/about-help.
`dir/atinfo.htrn pp. 6.*
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`2 of 12
`
`

`

`--...l = "'""
`00 = \C
`
`"'""
`--...l
`"'--...l
`
`rJl
`d
`
`(.H
`
`0 .....
`....
`.....
`1J1 =(cid:173)
`
`('D
`('D
`
`....
`?'
`('D
`""f'j
`
`-....J
`0
`0
`N
`"'
`(.H
`
`~ = ~
`
`~
`~
`~
`•
`00
`
`e •
`
`FIG.4
`
`[susM1T]~ G4
`
`FIG. 3
`
`I WebSite Channel A1 r 54
`
`DISTINCTIVE KEY:
`
`[sus~5'1
`
`Retrieve: r-WebSit~-~I A 1 Y-' 2 1,-'O
`
`,,--50
`
`Iwww.WebSiteChannel.com ~5Z
`Internet Source Address:
`
`j.r/'
`
`MANUSCRIPT
`
`OF
`
`AUDIENCE
`
`FIG. 1
`
`/{j
`
`Source Reference Material
`Copy of the Internet
`
`Source Reference Material
`
`2) Copy of the Internet
`Material Identification
`
`1) Internet Source Reference
`
`12
`
`,,10
`
`Material
`Internet Source Reference
`Identification of
`
`MANUSCRIPT
`
`OF
`
`AUTHOR
`
`l4
`
`3 of 12
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb.13,2007
`
`Sheet 2 of 3
`
`US 7,178,097 Bl
`
`AUTHOR REVIEWS A WEBSITE
`FOR REFERENCE MATERIAL
`
`TRANSFER ADDRESS OF THE WEBSITE
`TO A DATABASE VIA THE INTERNET
`
`TRANSFER COPY OF THE CITED WEBSITE
`TO THE DATABASE VIA THE INTERNET
`
`ASSOCIATE A DISTINCTIVE KEY WITH THE WEBSITE
`ADDRESS AND THE COPY OF THE WEBSITE
`AT THE DATABASE
`
`',/' 2 2.
`
`v-24
`
`v-2{;
`
`V28
`
`,--20
`
`•
`•
`•
`•
`•
`•
`•
`•
`•
`••
`
`AUTHOR CITES REFERENCE MATERIAL FROM V30
`THE WEBSITE IN A MANUSCRIPT
`
`AUTHOR CITES THE WEBSITE ADDRESS IN
`THE BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION OF THE MANUSCRIPT
`
`/32
`
`AUTHOR CITES THE DISTINCTIVE KEY ASSOCIATED /34
`WITH THE WEBSITE IN THE BIBLIOGRAPHY
`SECTION OF THE MANUSCRIPT
`
`AUDIENCE REVIEWS THE MANUSCRIPT AND
`THE BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION
`
`V3~
`
`AUDIENCE TRANSFERS THE DISTINCTIVE KEY CITED IN THE
`BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION TO THE DATABASE VIA THE INTERNET
`
`38
`[_/
`
`DATABASE TRANSFERS A COPY OF THE ARCHIVED
`WEBSITE TO THE AUDIENCE VIA THE INTERNET
`
`AUDIENCE REVIEWS THE ARCHIVED WEBSITE
`FOR VERIFICATION
`
`v40
`
`v-42
`
`FIG. 2
`
`4 of 12
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb.13,2007
`
`Sheet 3 of 3
`
`US 7,178,097 Bl
`
`,-70
`
`REFERENCES
`
`1)www.WebSiteChannel.com, accessed September 2000, last
`..-- 72
`modified August 2000, Key= WebSite Channel Al.
`
`2) www. Internet Source Info.com, accessed May 2000, last modified
`January 2000, Key= Internet Source Info 83.
`
`3) Engines, Heywood, pp 01-101, 1998, Key= Engines - Heywood. 4-74
`
`4) Krish email, October 4, 2000, Key= Krish email Oct 4, 2000.
`
`5) Engine Seminar Audio Conference, Detroit July 2000,
`Key= Engine Seminar Audio Conference - Detroit, 2000.
`
`6) Krish letter to Heywood, October 1, 2000, Key= Krish Letter
`to Heywood.
`
`FIG. 5
`
`5 of 12
`
`

`

`US 7,178,097 Bl
`
`1
`METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING A
`COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK TO
`ARCHIVE AND RETRIEVE BIBLIOGRAPHY
`INFORMATION AND REFERENCE
`MATERIAL
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`The present invention relates generally to publishing and,
`more particularly, to a method and system for using a
`communications network such as the Internet to archive and
`retrieve bibliography information and reference material
`cited in a manuscript.
`
`BACKGROUND ART
`
`Authors of manuscripts and documents such as books and
`research papers frequently cite material such as articles and
`other books in a bibliography section. The bibliography
`section is usually attached to the end of the manuscript. (The 20
`terms "Works Cited" and "References" mean the same. Each
`is a list of works that have been cited by an author, or works
`to which an author has made a reference. However, the term
`"Bibliography" stands for a list of all the material an author
`has consulted in preparing a manuscript irrespective of
`whether or not it has been cited.) Herein, the term "Bibli(cid:173)
`ography" also represents the terms "Works Cited" and
`"References".
`The entire manuscript including the bibliography section
`is then copied for distribution to an audience. The author
`uses the cited reference material as a source of information
`for writing the manuscript. Traditionally, the reference mate(cid:173)
`rial has been limited to physical media such as other books,
`research papers, newspaper and magazine articles, and the
`like. Occasionally, personal communications (regular mail),
`works-in-progress (interim reports, confidential reports), are
`also cited by authors of manuscripts.
`However, information available on websites on the World
`Wide Web, e.g, the Internet, has become an indispensable
`source for research on several areas of interest and often
`makes a study more comprehensive. Information can be
`retrieved instantly from the Internet at any time from any
`location and may incorporate the most current news. Web
`based information is not merely an electronic version of a
`physical publication (such as newspapers and magazines)
`but is rather a standalone medium with no physical equiva(cid:173)
`lents or limitations (i.e., page size).
`Authors and researchers are now starting to cite informa(cid:173)
`tion from websites in their manuscripts. Various professional
`bodies have issued protocols for citing web content. In the 50
`bibliography section, authors generally include three pieces
`of information when citing web content. The first piece of
`information is the address of the website such as a Uniform
`Resource Locator (URL), for instance, www.website.com.
`The second piece of information is the date of access of the
`website (by the author) and the third piece of information is
`the last modified date of the website.
`A problem with citing websites as sources of information
`is that 1) websites are subject to frequent, invisible modi(cid:173)
`fications and 2) may be moved to a new address or removed
`from the Internet without notice. Moreover, material from a
`website once accessible to everyone may now be limited to
`a select audience. Even hypertext essays (published on the
`Internet itself) now often contain a list of other websites used
`in that study.
`An important reason for citing references from any source
`including the Internet and traditional published material is to
`
`2
`enable verification of the material used from the references.
`The bibliography section of a manuscript also becomes a
`resource of information for other researchers in that field.
`Referees of research papers, editors, other researchers and
`the audience of the manuscript need to review/verify the
`information taken from the cited references. Traditionally,
`the bibliography information is either given in alphabetical
`order or the order in which the material was used in the
`manuscript, with a description of the journal or magazine
`10 from which it was taken (source), title of the particular essay,
`editor or author name, volume number of the journal or
`magazine, date of publication, and particular pages where
`the content was assimilated. Such information enabled easy
`review/verification of the bibliography information or ref-
`15 erence material.
`The problem with citing a website is that the fluid, ever
`modifiable potential of the content of the website does not
`guarantee availability and true verification of the material
`actually used by the author.
`Further, information given out by interacting members of
`news groups (another Internet source) and through personal
`communication methods such as e-mails that are cited by an
`author as references cam10t be verified by a third party
`unless the information is reproduced verbatim by the author
`25 in the content of the manuscript or in the bibliography
`section. Authors may also cite works in progress (such as
`unpublished interim reports) and information obtained
`through personal communication methods such as regular
`mail. However, the problem of the inability to review/verify
`30 such material also ails these sources.
`While traditional publishers generally act as authentica(cid:173)
`tors for the material printed and circulated by them there
`exists no credibility checking service or protocol for infor(cid:173)
`mation available over the Internet. Search engines used for
`35 selecting websites by keywords give worthy, mediocre, and
`worthless websites equal importance. So, while it can be
`considered safe to look up and use content published in a
`magazine or journal, which are thus authenticated, it might
`be risky to use content from most web sites (that don't have
`40 any means of authentication) in a manuscript.
`As such, in light of the affect the cited web based material
`might have had on a given manuscript, it becomes important
`for referees, editors, other researchers, and the audience of
`the manuscript to ascertain the credibility of the cited
`45 information available on those Internet websites (sources).
`The same can be said of hitherto non-verifiable sources such
`as interim reports, e-mails, communication on newsgroups/
`userforums, personal communications (regular mail) and the
`like.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
`provide a method and system for using a communications
`55 network to archive and retrieve bibliography information
`and reference material cited in a manuscript.
`It is another object of the present invention to provide a
`method and system for using a communications network to
`archive and retrieve bibliography information and reference
`60 material from an Internet source such as a website cited in
`a manuscript.
`It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
`method and system for using a communications network to
`archive a copy of information from an Internet source cited
`65 in a manuscript.
`It is still another object of the present invention to provide
`a method and system for using a communications network to
`
`6 of 12
`
`

`

`US 7,178,097 Bl
`
`10
`
`3
`archive a copy of information from an Internet source cited
`in a manuscript for retrieval by users of the manuscript to
`enable verification of the cited Internet source information.
`It is still a further object of the present invention to
`provide a method and system for using a communications
`network to archive and retrieve bibliography information
`and reference material from personal communications such
`as e-mails and regular mail cited in a manuscript.
`It is still yet another object of the present invention to
`provide a method and system for using a communications
`network to archive and retrieve bibliography information
`and reference material from a digital medium such as audio
`digital files, video digital files, and graphics digital files cited
`in a manuscript.
`It is still yet a further object of the present invention to 15
`provide a method and system for using a communications
`network to archive and retrieve bibliography information
`and reference material from traditional physical sources of
`information such as books and magazines, interim reports,
`and works-in-progress cited in a manuscript.
`In carrying out the above objects and other objects, the
`present invention provides a system for archiving reference
`material in a bibliography of a manuscript using a commu(cid:173)
`nications network such as the Internet. The system includes
`a first communications device connected to the communi- 25
`cations network for an author of a manuscript to use. The
`author uses the first communications device to transfer
`identification of reference material cited by the author in the
`manuscript to the communications network. A second com(cid:173)
`munications device is connected to the communications 30
`network for an audience of the manuscript to use. The
`audience uses the second communications device to request
`and receive a copy of the reference material cited by the
`author in the manuscript from the communications network.
`A database is connected to the communications network 35
`to communicate with the author and the audience via the
`communications network. The database receives the identi(cid:173)
`fication of reference material cited by the author from the
`author. The database stores a copy of the reference material
`and a distinctive key associated with the copy of the refer(cid:173)
`ence material. The database transmits a copy of the reference
`material to the audience in response to receiving a request
`from the audience for a copy of the reference material.
`The database may transmit the distinctive key associated
`with the copy of the reference material to the author. In 45
`response, the author cites the distinctive key associated with
`the copy of the reference material in the manuscript. The
`audience then obtains the distinctive key from the manu(cid:173)
`script and then transmits a request having the distinctive key
`to the database. The database transmits a copy of the 50
`reference material to the audience in response to receiving
`the request having the distinctive key.
`The reference material cited by the author in the manu(cid:173)
`script may be a website, an e-mail, a digital file, traditional
`media such as a paper book or magazine, an interim report, 55
`and the like. If the reference material is a website the
`database receives a copy of the website from the Internet for
`storage and then transmits a copy of the website to the
`audience in response to receiving the request from the
`audience for a copy of the website. If the reference material
`is an e-mail the database receives a copy of the e-mail from
`the author via the Internet for storage and then transmits a
`copy of the e-mail to the audience in response to receiving
`the request from the audience for a copy of the e-mail. If the
`reference material is stored as a digital file the database
`receives a copy of the digital file from the author via the
`Internet for storage and then transmits a copy of the digital
`
`4
`file to the audience in response to receiving a request from
`the audience for a copy of the e-mail. If the reference
`material is a paper book, photograph, an interim report, or
`the like the database receives an electronic scanned copy of
`the paper book/reference material from the author via the
`Internet for storage and then transmits an electronic copy of
`the paper book/reference material to the audience in
`response to receiving a request from the audience for an
`electronic copy of the paper book/reference material.
`In carrying out the above objects and other objects, the
`present invention further provides a method for archiving
`reference material in a bibliography of a manuscript using a
`communications network such as the Internet, a first com-
`munications device connected to the communications net(cid:173)
`work for an author of a manuscript to use, a second
`communications device connected to the communicates
`network for an audience of the manuscript to use, and a
`database connected to the communications network to com-
`20 municate with the author and the audience via the commu-
`nications network.
`The method includes transmitting identification of refer(cid:173)
`ence material cited by the author in the manuscript to the
`communications network from the first communications
`device. The identification of the reference material cited by
`the author is then received at the database. A distinctive key
`is then associated with the reference material cited by the
`author. A copy of the reference material cited by the author
`and the associated distinctive key are then stored at the
`database. A request for a copy of the reference material is
`then transmitted from the audience to the database using the
`second communications device. A copy of the reference
`material is then transmitted from the database to the audi-
`ence in response to the database receiving the request for a
`copy of the reference material from the audience. The
`distinctive key associated with the copy of the reference
`material is given by the database to the author. The distinc(cid:173)
`tive key associated with the copy of the reference material
`40 may then be cited in the manuscript by the author. The
`distinctive key is then obtained from the manuscript by the
`audience. The transmitted request to the database may then
`include the distinctive key.
`The advantages associated with the method and system of
`the present invention are numerous. The method and system
`of the present invention advantageously fill the deficiency
`associated with conventional bibliographic processes by
`identifying traditionally non-verifiable reference material
`cited in a manuscript with a distinctive key and then
`archiving a copy of the reference material on a database
`connected to a communications network such as the Inter(cid:173)
`net. The audience of the manuscript may then access the
`reference material from the database by using the distinctive
`key for review and verification of the reference material. As
`a result, the method and system of the present invention
`protect the cited information from continuous modification
`and removal of the reference material by providing an
`avenue for the audience to gain access to an exact copy of
`60 the reference material cited by the author of the manuscript.
`Further, the method and system of the present invention
`provide a means of verification of the reference material.
`The above objects and other objects, features, and advan(cid:173)
`tages of the present invention are readily apparent from the
`65 following detailed description of the best mode for carrying
`out the present invention when taken in connection with the
`accompanying drawings.
`
`7 of 12
`
`

`

`5
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`US 7,178,097 Bl
`
`6
`16 of the manuscript are connected with the Internet 12 for
`transferring and receiving information from the Internet. A
`database 18 is also connected to Internet 12 for transferring
`and receiving information from the Internet. Author 14 uses
`the Internet 12 to cite reference material from Internet
`sources in the manuscript. The Internet sources may be
`websites on the Internet 12. Author 14 includes a bibliog(cid:173)
`raphy section with the manuscript for listing the identifica(cid:173)
`tion of the reference materials from the Internet sources and
`10 other sources. The bibliography section is intended to be
`reviewed by audience 16 for reviewing and verifying the
`reference material cited by author 14 in the manuscript. It is
`noted that the manuscript may be published or remain
`unpublished.
`When citing a website as reference material in the manu-
`script, author 14 cites information identifying the website in
`the bibliography section of the manuscript. The identifica(cid:173)
`tion information of the website in the bibliography section
`includes the address of the website such as a URL, the date
`20 of access of the website by the author, and the last modified
`date of the website. Author 14 then transfers to the Internet
`12 information identifying the website as shown in FIG. 1.
`The website identification information transferred to the
`Internet 12 includes the address of the website. In response
`to author 14 transferring the website identification informa(cid:173)
`tion to the Internet 12, database 18 receives from the Internet
`the website identification information and a copy of the
`reference material of the website, i.e., a copy of the website.
`The copy of the website is verbatim to the website on the
`Internet 12 when author 14 transferred the website identi(cid:173)
`fication information to the Internet. Database 18 then stores
`or archives the website identification information with the
`copy of the website.
`Database 18 assigns a permanent distinctive key (other
`than the URL identifying the website) to the website iden(cid:173)
`tification information and the copy of the website. Author 14
`includes the distinctive key in the bibliography section with
`the website identification information. Audience 16 of the
`manuscript may then access the Internet 12 to retrieve the
`copy of the website cited in the manuscript and in the
`bibliography section. In response to a request by audience 16
`to the Internet 12 for access to the copy of the website,
`database 18 transfers the archived copy of the website to the
`audience via the Internet. As part of the request, audience 16
`45 transfers the distinctive key provided by author 14 in the
`bibliography section of the manuscript to database 18 via the
`Internet 12. Database 18 uses the distinctive key to under(cid:173)
`stand what reference material audience 16 is requesting.
`Audience 16 can then review the reference material from the
`website cited in the manuscript by author 14 for verification.
`The copy of the website provided by database 18 to audience
`16 is an exact copy of the website when author 14 cited the
`website in the manuscript and submitted to database 18.
`In effect, database 18 acts as a partial bibliography of the
`manuscript by including a listing of information for each
`website cited in the manuscript, and further includes a copy
`in verbatim of each website used by author 14. Database 18
`archives the website for subsequent retrieval such that ifthe
`website is modified or removed from the Internet 12 sub-
`sequent to the author citing the website audience 16 may
`access the database to retrieve the actual website used by the
`author for review and verification.
`Referring now to FIG. 2, a flow chart 20 describing
`operation of the method and system of the present invention
`is shown. Flow chart 20 begins with author 14 reviewing a
`website on the Internet 12 for reference material as shown in
`block 22. Upon finding reference material of interest, author
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system in accor(cid:173)
`dance with the present invention;
`FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart describing operation of the
`method and system of the present invention;
`FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface for use by the
`author of a manuscript to transfer the address of a website
`cited in the manuscript to the database of the system shown
`in FIG. 1;
`FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical user interface for use by the
`audience to receive a copy of a website cited in a manuscript
`from the database of the system shown in FIG. 1; and
`FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a bibliography section in
`accordance with the method and system of the present 15
`invention.
`
`BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE
`INVENTION
`
`In general, the present invention is a method and system
`or using a communications network such as the Internet,
`wired and wireless data communications networks, and the
`like to archive and retrieve bibliography information and
`reference material cited in a manuscript. In operation, an 25
`author cites material from an information source such as an
`Internet source in the manuscript and then adds information
`identifying the Internet source into the bibliography section
`of the manuscript. The reference material from the Internet
`source may be from a website. The Internet source identi- 30
`fication information may include the address of the website,
`i.e., the uniform resource locator (URL), the date of access
`of the website by the author, and the last modified date of the
`website. The website identification information is then trans(cid:173)
`ferred to the Internet for storage on a database associated 35
`with the manuscript. In addition to the website identification
`information, a copy of the website information is also
`transferred to the Internet for storage on the database. The
`database assigns a permanent distinctive key (other than the
`URL identifying the website) to the website identification 40
`information and the copy of the website. The distinctive key
`can then be used by readers of the manuscript to gain access
`to the website information cited by the author of the manu(cid:173)
`script as the website stood on the date of submission by the
`author to the database.
`The database acts as the bibliography of the manuscript
`by including a listing of information for each website cited
`in the manuscript. However, the database is more than a
`bibliography in that a copy in verbatim of each website used
`by the author is also stored on the database. In effect, the 50
`database archives the reference material for subsequent
`retrieval. Accordingly, ifthe website is modified or removed
`from the Internet after the date of access by the author or
`after the manuscript is distributed to an audience, the audi(cid:173)
`ence may access the database to retrieve the actual website 55
`information used by the author for review and verification.
`Additionally, the method and system of the present inven(cid:173)
`tion extend to the identification and archival of other refer(cid:173)
`ence material such as works-in-progress, e-mails, regular
`mail, digital files, and traditional physical media by assign- 60
`ing a distinctive key to a copy of each such material and
`storing the distinctive key and the copy in the database for
`subsequent retrieval from the database.
`Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram ofa system 10
`for use with the present invention is shown. System 10 65
`includes a communications network such as the Internet 12.
`An author 14 of a manuscript or document and an audience
`
`8 of 12
`
`

`

`US 7,178,097 Bl
`
`7
`14 transfers the website address to database 18 via the
`Internet 12 as shown in block 24. A copy of the website
`referenced by author 14 is then also transferred to database
`18 via the Internet 12 as shown in block 26. This copy may
`be sent from the Internet 12 to database 18 in response to a
`request for such copy by the database. Database 18 stores
`and archives the website address and the copy of the website
`for subsequent retrieval. Database 18 archives this informa(cid:173)
`tion because either the website address or the website itself
`may possibly be removed or altered after being cited by 10
`author 14. By archiving this information database 18 ensures
`that a verbatim copy of the website as cited by author 14 may
`be accessible for later study and verification. As part of the
`archiving process, database 18 associates a distinctive key
`(other than the URL) with the website address and the copy 15
`of the website as shown in block 28.
`Author 14 then cites the reference material from the
`website in a manuscript being written by the author as shown
`in block 30. Author 14 then cites the address of the website
`such as the website URL in the bibliography section of the
`manuscript as shown in block 32. Author 14 may also cite
`in the bibliography section the date of access of the website
`and the last modified date of the website.
`Author 14 then cites the distinctive key associated with
`the website in the bibliography section of the manuscript as
`shown in block 34. After distribution of the manuscript to
`audience 16, the audience reviews the manuscript and the
`bibliography section of the manuscript as shown in block 36.
`In order to verify the reference material of a website cited by
`author 14 in the manuscript, audience transfers a request
`along with the distinctive key cited in the bibliography
`section to database 18 via the Internet 12 as shown in block
`38. In response to receiving the request and the distinctive
`key from audience 16, database 18 transfers a copy of the
`archived website along with the website address to the
`audience via the Internet 12 as shown in block 40. Audience
`16 then reviews the archived website for verification of the
`reference material cited by author 14 in the manuscript as
`shown in block 42.
`In addition to obtaining a copy of the archived website
`from database 18 over the Internet 12, audience 16 may
`directly obtain a copy of the archived website from database
`18 using traditional communications means such as regular
`post mail, courier, facsimile, and the like. Further, if the
`manuscript is a hypertext document audience 16 may click
`a hypertext distinctive key link located in the hypertext
`document. The hypertext distinctive key link is associated
`with the archived reference material. Upon audience 16
`clicking the hypertext distinctive key link database 18
`transfers a copy of the archived reference material to the
`audience via the Internet 12.
`Referring now to FIG. 3, a graphical user interface 50 for
`use by author 14 to transfer the address of a cited website to
`database 18 is shown. Graphical user interface 50 is part of
`a communications system enabling communication between
`author 14 and database 18 via the Internet 12. Graphical user
`interface 50 includes an Internet source address entry 52 and
`a distinctive key entry 54. Author 14 enters the address of a
`cited website in Internet source address entry 52. For
`instance, the address is "www.WebSiteChannel.com" as 60
`shown in FIG. 3. Author 14 then enters a distinctive key to
`be associated with the cited website in distinctive key entry
`54. For instance, distinctive