U.S. patent application number 10/418470 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-16 for method for authoring, developing, and posting electronic documents.
Invention is credited to Distefano, Thomas L. III.
Application Number | 20030196171 10/418470 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28791760 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030196171 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Distefano, Thomas L. III |
October 16, 2003 |
Method for authoring, developing, and posting electronic
documents
Abstract
A method for authoring, developing, and posting an electronic
document is performed in a system which includes an author computer
(102) operated by an author, and a developer system (110) which
includes a developer computer (114) operated by a developer. After
a qualification procedure (214-242) which includes sending (233) an
auto-response message to an e-mail address indicated by the author,
the developer system sends (312) the author a document authoring
page (370) over a first network (120). Using the document authoring
page, the author enters (316) certain information describing a Web
page which the author desires to have created. The author computer
sends (322) that information to the developer system, and a
developer modifies (330) an HTML document describing the Web page
to put it in a form that is ready for posting to a network server
(116, 130). After the author approves (344) the final HTML
document, the developer system posts (348) the document to the
server. The Web page associated with the final HTML document is
then accessible for viewing over the second network.
Inventors: |
Distefano, Thomas L. III;
(Boca Raton, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson, P.A.
Ste. 400
222 Lakeview Ave.
Post Office Box 3188
West Palm Beach
FL
33402-3188
US
|
Family ID: |
28791760 |
Appl. No.: |
10/418470 |
Filed: |
April 18, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10418470 |
Apr 18, 2003 |
|
|
|
09273991 |
Mar 22, 1999 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/234 ;
707/E17.116; 715/221; 715/255 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/00 20130101;
G06Q 40/04 20130101; G06Q 40/025 20130101; G06F 16/958
20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/513 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for developing a network-accessible electronic document
comprising the steps of: a) receiving a document authoring page in
an electronic format from a developer system; b) creating, by an
author computer which is separate from the developer system, a
first electronic document which includes author-specified
information specified by an author of the first electronic
document, wherein the first electronic document is created using
the document authoring page; c) sending the first electronic
document across a first network to a developer computer which is
part of the developer system; d) receiving, over the first network
from the developer computer, a modified document, wherein the
modified document is based on the first electronic document and
includes additional information; and e) displaying, by the author
computer, a graphical display defined by the modified electronic
document.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of creating
the first electronic document comprises the steps of: b1) creating
a hypertext document which describes a Web page which is blank; and
b2) modifying the hypertext document to include the
author-specified information, wherein the author-specified
information relates to content of the Web page.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of sending
the first electronic document comprises the steps of: c1) receiving
a request from the author to submit the first electronic document;
and c2) as a result of the receiving the request step, sending the
first electronic document to the developer computer over an
Internet.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving
the modified document comprises the step of receiving a hypertext
document.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of receiving
the modified document comprises the step of receiving the hypertext
document via e-mail over an Internet.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of displaying
comprises the steps of: e1) invoking a display tool capable of
displaying the modified electronic document; and e2) displaying the
modified electronic document using the display tool.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of invoking
the display tool comprises the step of invoking a Web browser.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, before the
step of sending, the steps of: f) storing the first electronic
document in a memory device associated with the author computer; g)
retrieving the first electronic document from the memory device;
and h) allowing the author to further specify information within
the first electronic document.
9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, before the
step of receiving the document authoring page, the steps of: f)
determining whether the author is qualified to access the document
authoring page; g) if the author is qualified, allowing the author
to access the document authoring page; and h) if the author is not
qualified, not allowing the author to access the document authoring
page.
10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of
determining comprises the steps of: f1) prompting the author to
choose between options of inputting a previously-assigned password
and obtaining a new password; f2) if the author selects an option
of obtaining a new password, performing the steps of prompting the
author for author data and submitting the author data to the
developer system, and if the developer system indicates that the
author is qualified, receiving a password from the developer
system, notifying the author of the password, and allowing the
author to access the document authoring page, and if the developer
system indicates that the author is not qualified, receiving an
indication from the developer system that the author is not
qualified, notifying the author of the indication, and not allowing
the author to access the document authoring page; and f3) if the
author selects an option of inputting a previously-assigned
password, performing the steps of sending the previously-assigned
password to the developer system, if the developer system indicates
that the author is qualified, allowing the author to access the
document authoring page, and if the developer system indicates that
the author is not qualified, not allowing the author to access the
document authoring page.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising before the
step of receiving the document authoring page, the steps of: f)
prompting the author for an author's e-mail address; g) submitting
the author's e-mail address to the developer system; and h) if the
author's e-mail address is legitimate, receiving an auto-response
from the developer system as a result of performing the submitting
step.
12. A method for developing a network-accessible electronic
document, the method performed by a developer system, the method
comprising the steps of: a) providing, by the developer system, a
document authoring page in an electronic format over a first
network to an author computer that is separate from the developer
system; b) receiving, by a developer computer within the developer
system, a first electronic document from the author computer,
wherein the first electronic document includes author-specified
information specified by an author of the first electronic
document, and the first electronic document was created using the
document authoring page; c) displaying, by the developer computer,
a graphical display defined by the first electronic document; d)
modifying the first electronic document to include additional
information, wherein the additional information is specified by a
developer of the first electronic document, and the modifying step
results in a modified electronic document; and e) sending the
modified electronic document across the first network to the author
computer.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of
receiving comprises the step of receiving a hypertext document.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of
receiving comprises the step of receiving the hypertext document
via e-mail over an Internet.
15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of
modifying the document includes the steps of: d1) modifying content
of the first electronic document in accordance with
developer-specified information; and d2) adding markup to the first
electronic document in accordance with the developer-specified
information.
16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of
displaying comprises the steps of: c1) invoking a display tool
capable of displaying the first electronic document; and c2)
displaying the first electronic document using the display
tool.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of invoking
the display tool comprises the step of invoking a Web browser.
18. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of sending
the modified electronic document comprises the steps of: e1)
receiving a request from the developer to send the modified
electronic document; and e2) as a result of the receiving the
request step, sending the modified electronic document over an
Internet.
19. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the modified
electronic document is a hypertext document describing a Web page,
and the method further comprises the step of posting the modified
electronic document to a server computer.
20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of posting
comprises the step of posting the modified electronic document to a
server computer that is part of the developer system.
21. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising, before
the step of providing, the steps of: f) determining, by the
developer system, whether the author is qualified to access the
document authoring page; g) if the author is qualified, allowing
the author to access the document authoring page; and h) if the
author is not qualified, not allowing the author to access the
document authoring page.
22. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising before
the step of providing, the steps of: f) receiving, from the author
computer, an author's e-mail address; g) sending an auto-response
message to the author's e-mail address; and h) if the developer
system receives an indication that the auto-response message is not
deliverable to the author's e-mail address, not performing steps
a-e.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of presently pending U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/273,991 entitled METHOD FOR
AUTHORING, DEVELOPING, AND POSTING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS filed on
Mar. 22, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to creating and
posting Web pages to the Internet , and more specifically, to
creating Web pages using a tool which facilitates interaction
between the page author and a page developer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The World Wide Web (Web) has rapidly become an invaluable
tool to individuals and businesses. Not only can an individual or
business post information on the Web, but it can also use the Web
to transact business. Because the public is acutely aware of the
Web's business and personal benefits, millions of Web pages are
being added to the Web each year.
[0004] Typically, a Web page is defined by a document containing
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code. An HTML document suitable
for posting on the Internet includes both "content" and "markup."
The content is information which describes a Web page's text or
other information for display or playback on a computer's monitor,
speakers, etc. The markup is information which describes the Web
page's behavioral characteristics, such as how the content is
displayed and how other information can be accessed via the Web
page.
[0005] In order to provide Web-based information and services over
the Internet, the Web employs "client" computers, "browser"
software, and "server" computers. A client computer is a computer
used by an individual to connect to the Internet and access Web
pages. A browser is a software application, located on a client
computer, which requests, via the Internet, a Web page from a
server. After receiving the page, the browser displays the page on
the client computer's monitor. A server is a computer which stores
Web page information, retrieves that information in response to a
browser's request, and sends the information, via the Internet, to
the client computer. Thus, after a Web page is created, the page
must be "posted" to a particular server which "hosts" the page, so
that the page can be accessed over the Internet.
[0006] In order to have one's Web page hosted by a server, the
individual must contract with an Internet service provider (ISP)
associated with the server. This contract specifies, among other
things, the duration of the time that the ISP will host the page,
and how much the individual will pay for that hosting service.
[0007] Even though the idea of having one's own Web page is
appealing, the average individual has little or no knowledge about
how to create a Web page. Particularly, the average individual does
not know how to create an HTML document or to post that document to
a server. Unless that individual is willing to learn how to create
and post their own Web page, that individual is faced with few
options.
[0008] The most commonly used avenue for an individual to get his
Web page on the Internet is to employ one of numerous companies to
provide, for a fee, Web page development services. After contacting
such a company, the individual would meet with one of the company's
Web page designers to explain the individual's concept for his Web
page. The designer would then create the associated HTML document.
After approval by the individual, the designer may provide the
service of posting the Web page to a server. The server typically
is not associated with the page development company. Thus, the
individual must separately contract with an ISP associated with the
server to host the Web page.
[0009] Typically, this Web page creation and posting process is
time consuming and expensive, because it requires the individual
and the designer to spend a significant amount of time together
working on a particular page design. In addition, the process is
inefficient because the individual must work separately with a
designer and an ISP.
[0010] What is needed, therefore, is a method for enabling an
individual to conveniently design a Web page without requiring that
individual to learn HTML or to interact extensively with a Web page
designer. What is further needed is a streamlined method for page
development and posting.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention provides a simple method for
authoring, developing, and posting electronic documents, including
Web pages. In one embodiment of the present invention, the method
enables a document author to create, using the author's computer
and a document authoring page that is provided by a separate
developer system, an electronic document which includes
author-specified information. The author causes that electronic
document to be sent to a developer associated with that developer
system who, in turn, modifies the document and sends it back to the
author for display on the author's computer. After approval of the
modified document, the developer system can facilitate posting the
document to a server.
[0012] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the
invention described and claimed herein may be realized by reference
to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a system in which the method of the
present invention can be practiced;
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method for qualifying an
author in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for authoring,
developing, and posting a Web page in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a document authoring page in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for entering Web
page information in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a system in which the method and
apparatus of the present invention can be practiced. System 100
includes author computer 102, developer system 110, first network
120, second network 122, and server computer 130. Author computer
102 and developer system 110 are capable of communicating with each
other over first network 120. In a preferred embodiment, first
network 120 is the Internet. In alternate embodiments, first
network 120 could be a local area network (LAN), wide area network
(WAN), or some other type of network.
[0019] At least one computer of developer system 110 is capable of
communicating with server computer 130 over second network 122. In
a preferred embodiment, second network 122 also is the Internet
and, thus, first network 120 and second network 122 are the same.
In alternate embodiments, second network 122 could be a LAN, WAN,
or other network which is separate from or the same as first
network 120. In a preferred embodiment, developer system 110 is
separate from author computer 102, so that the services provided by
developer system 110 can be offered to a large quantity of authors
who use author computers.
[0020] In a preferred embodiment, developer system 110 includes
individual computers 112, 114, 116 and data storage device 118. In
a preferred embodiment, computers 112, 114, 116 and data storage
device 118 are interconnected through a LAN, although they could
also be interconnected through a WAN or other network. In alternate
embodiments, one or all of computers 112, 114, 116 could have
separate data storage devices, rather than sharing data storage
device 118. For ease of description, FIG. 1 illustrates only one
author computer 102, marketer computer 112, developer computer 114,
and server computers 116, 130. Most likely, system 100 would
include potentially millions of author computers, and multiple
marketer computers, developer computers, and server computers.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows three computers 112, 114, 116, where one serves
as a marketer's computer 112, a second serves as a developer's
computer 114, and a third serves as a server 116. In a preferred
embodiment, marketer's computer 112 is used by a human "marketer",
who participates in the Web page development process in a marketing
and sales capacity. Developer's computer 114 is used by a human Web
page "developer", who participates in the Web page development
process by helping to create a viable Web page document. Server
computer 116 serves as an ISP which provides network access to Web
pages authored and developed in accordance with the method of the
present invention. In an alternate embodiment, some or all of the
Web pages created in accordance with the present invention could be
posted to server 130 which is not part of developer system 110,
rather than to server 116. In such embodiment, server computer 116
may not be necessary.
[0022] System 100 facilitates implementation of the method of the
present invention. As will be described in more detail below, a
human user, referred to as an "author", uses services provided by
developer system 110 to author an electronic document (e.g., a Web
page). In a preferred embodiment, before being granted access to
those services, the author must be "qualified" and issued a unique
password. This qualification process is described in detail in
conjunction with FIG. 2.
[0023] After being qualified, the developer system 100 sends the
author a "document authoring page" in electronic format. During the
authoring process, author computer 102 creates an HTML document
using the document authoring page. After document authoring is
complete, author computer 102 sends the HTML document over first
network 120 to developer computer 114 within developer system
110.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the document is an HTML document
which defines certain content and markup for a particular Web page.
After receiving the document, a developer uses developer computer
114 to display the Web page associated with the HTML document. In a
preferred embodiment, developer computer 114 displays the document
using a display tool (e.g., a Web browser or e-mail program capable
of displaying HTML documents) that is located on developer computer
114. The developer can then modify the document and send the
modified document back to author computer 102 over first network
120.
[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the modified document also is an
HTML document defining the Web page, except that the modified
document includes more markup and, possibly, more or different
content from the original document. After receiving the modified
document, author computer 102 displays the Web page associated with
the modified HTML document. In a preferred embodiment, author
computer 102 displays the document using a display tool (e.g., a
Web browser or e-mail program capable of displaying HTML documents)
that is located on author computer 102. If the author indicates to
the developer that the Web page is acceptable, then the developer
can post the modified document to server computer 116, so that the
associated Web page becomes accessible over second network 122.
Alternatively, the developer can post the modified document to
server computer 130, which is separate from developer system 110.
If the author indicates that the Web page is not acceptable, the
developer and the author can work together to further modify the
document. Authoring, developing, and posting the Web page document
is described in detail in conjunction with FIG. 3.
[0026] As described previously, in a preferred embodiment, an
author is "qualified" by the development system before the
development system grants the author access to its document
authoring services. FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method for
qualifying an author in accordance with a preferred embodiment of
the present invention. The method involves the participation of an
author, an author computer (e.g., author computer 102, FIG. 1), a
developer system (e.g., developer system 110, FIG. 1), and a
marketer. For ease of illustration, FIG. 2 separates into columns
the tasks which, in a preferred embodiment, are performed by each
of these entities.
[0027] The method begins, in step 202, when an author asks its
author computer to open a Web browser. In response, the author
computer opens the Web browser and makes an initial connection to
the Web in step 204.
[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the developer system offers
document authoring services to its customers (e.g., the author) via
the developer system's Web site. After accessing the developer
system's Web site, the author must first perform a qualification
procedure. The qualification procedure is performed using a
"qualification" page within the Web site. The qualification page
prompts a potential author for information which the developer
system uses to determine whether that author is "qualified" to use
the document authoring page.
[0029] In step 206, the author informs its author computer to
request the qualification page associated with the developer
system. The author computer sends that request, in step 208, to the
developer system. In step 210, the developer system sends the Web
site's qualification page to the author computer which, in turn,
displays the page in step 212.
[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the author then has three options
from which to choose in step 214. The qualification page prompts
the author to select between at least the first two of these
options. First, the author could enter a password that was
previously assigned to the author. Second, the author could request
a new password. Third, the author could quit and exit the site.
This third option could be done, for example, by the author
quitting the browser, or by the author directing her browser to go
to a different site. If the author indicates, in step 214, that the
author wishes to quit, then the site connection is terminated, in
step 216, and the method ends.
[0031] If, in step 214, the author indicates that she wants to
enter a previously-assigned password, then, in step 218, the author
enters that password into the appropriate component of the
displayed qualification page, and submits the password (e.g., by
clicking a "submit" button on the qualification page). The author
computer sends the password to the developer system in step 220.
The developer system then determines, in step 222, whether the
password is valid (i.e., whether it corresponds to a
previously-qualified author). If not, then the developer system
sends an access denied message to the author computer in step 224.
The author computer, in turn, displays an access denied message to
the author in step 226, and the author may again select one of the
three options possible in step 214.
[0032] If, in step 222, the developer system determines that the
password is valid, then the method proceeds, as shown at method
exit point "A", to the document authoring phase of page
development. The document authoring phase is described in detail in
conjunction with FIG. 3, below.
[0033] If, in step 214, the author selects the option of getting a
new password, then the author is prompted to enter and submit
certain author data in step 230. In a preferred embodiment, author
data is entered into data entry components on the qualification
page. In an alternate embodiment, the developer system could
provide a different page into which the author enters the author
data. Author data desirably includes information which: 1)
facilitates identification and communication with the author (e.g.,
name, company information, telephone numbers, physical and e-mail
address); and 2) provides useful information for future marketing
efforts (e.g., occupation, age, hobbies, and other personal
information).
[0034] After the author has entered all required information and
indicated that the author would like that information submitted,
the author computer, in step 232, sends the author data to the
developer system. In a preferred embodiment, in step 233, the
author system then sends an auto-response message to the e-mail
address which the author included in the submitted author data. The
auto-response could, for example, be a message that welcomes the
author and indicates that the author data has been received. The
auto-response feature provides at least two advantages. First, it
provides nearly immediate feedback to the author. Second, it
provides the developer system with a mechanism to screen out some
illegitimate submissions. If the auto-response comes back as
undeliverable, for example, the developer system and its associated
marketing and development departments would not have expended
valuable resources before discovering that the submitted
information was illegitimate.
[0035] If the provided e-mail address was a legitimate address for
the author computer, then the author computer receives and displays
the auto-response message in step 234. Otherwise, if the developer
system receives an indication that the e-mail is undeliverable,
then the method would end. In alternate embodiments, the
auto-response steps 233 and 234 would not be performed, or would be
performed at a later time.
[0036] The developer system then qualifies the author in step 235.
In a preferred embodiment, author qualification, at a minimum,
involves a determination of whether all required data was entered
by the author. Such a process could be done without human
interaction. In an alternate embodiment, a human could review the
author data to determine whether the author should be qualified
based on a set of pre-defined criteria. If the author is not
qualified, the developer system could interact with the author (via
author computer or otherwise) to attempt to qualify the author or
to notify the author that the author is not qualified. If the
author is not qualified, the developer system does not allow the
author to proceed to the document authoring phase.
[0037] If the author is qualified, the developer system determines
a new password for the author. In a preferred embodiment, each
author has a unique password which the developer system uses to
access author data and other information. In an alternate
embodiment, multiple authors could be given the same password, and
the developer system could use some other method for accessing data
pertaining to a particular author.
[0038] Determination of a new password could be done by various
methods. For example, the password could be selected from a list of
available passwords. In an alternate embodiment, the password could
be generated by a random number generator and cross-checked to make
certain that it was not identical to any previously-issued
passwords. In another alternate embodiment, the password could be
based on some item of author data such as the author's social
security number, for example.
[0039] After qualification and selection of a password, the
developer system sends, to the author computer in step 236, a
message indicating that the author is qualified and including the
new password. The author computer then displays the qualification
and password message in step 238. In a preferred embodiment, the
author may then select the option, in step 214, of entering the
password and accessing the document development page or quitting.
In an alternate embodiment, the author may automatically be granted
access to the document authoring phase, thus proceeding to method
exit point "A".
[0040] After qualification in steps 234 and 236, the developer
system also sends a notification to a marketer associated with the
developer system in step 240. In a preferred embodiment, the
notification message is sent to a marketer's computer which is part
of the developer system. The marketer can then perform follow-up in
step 242, if necessary. For example, the marketer may then
telephone or e-mail the author to send a "welcome" message or to
obtain additional information.
[0041] After the author has been qualified, the next phase of Web
page development is the actual authoring, development, and posting
of a page. FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for
authoring, developing, and posting a Web page document in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The method involves the participation of an author, an author
computer (e.g., author computer 102, FIG. 1), a developer system
(e.g., developer system 110, FIG. 1), and a developer. For ease of
illustration, FIG. 3 separates into columns the tasks which, in a
preferred embodiment, are performed by each of these entities.
[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the method begins after an author
has been "qualified" by the developer system in accordance with the
method of FIG. 2. This is illustrated by beginning the method of
FIG. 3 at method entrance point "A", which corresponds to method
exit point "A" from FIG. 2. In an alternate embodiment, the method
could be implemented without qualifying the author, or qualifying
the author at a different time.
[0043] The method begins, in step 302, when the developer system
sends a design package selection page to the author computer. In a
preferred embodiment, the design package selection page includes
several design packages from which the author may select. Each
package includes different features which the developer system
could provide to the author, and each package may be priced
differently. In a preferred embodiment, the author would be
informed of the price of each package along with the list of
features included in the package. For example, a particular package
may include a set of the following features, although more, fewer
or different features could be offered: 1) obtaining a unique
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the Web page; 2) including
graphics; 3) including hypertext code (e.g., Java applets); 4)
including animated GIFs; 5) including a certain number of e-mail
accounts; 6) providing a CD ROM with marketing solutions; 7)
providing Web page access on the developer system server; 8)
providing storage space on the developer system; 9) providing a
certain period of hosting by the developer system server; 10)
providing message boards; 11) providing data entry capabilities;
12) providing links to other Web sites; and 13) providing chat
capabilities.
[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the design package selection page
also would include the ability for the author to enter payment
information. For example, the author would indicate whether she
intended to pay via credit card (along with her credit card
information), check or some other payment method.
[0045] In step 304, the author computer displays the design package
selection page. The author then selects a particular package and
submits her selection in step 306. The author computer sends the
selection to the developer system in step 308. In a preferred
embodiment, the developer system would then send that information,
in step 310, to those destinations and individuals associated with
the developer system who have a need to know such information. For
example, the information would be sent to the developer system's
billing department and to a developer assigned to develop this
particular Web page. The billing department would use the
information to bill the author for the Web page development
services provided by the developer system. The developer would use
the information to make certain to include the appropriate set of
features in the author's Web page. The information also would be
stored in conjunction with the author data for reference when
needed.
[0046] In an alternate embodiment, the developer system may provide
only a single design package. In still another alternate
embodiment, the developer system could wait until the author has
entered all Web page information, as described below in step 316,
including all features that the author desires, before calculating
the price that the author would be charged for the page development
services. In such an embodiment, steps 302-310 also would not be
necessary. Instead, an additional step (not shown) of calculating
the package price would be performed later in the method.
[0047] After the author has selected a design package, the method
continues, in step 312, when the developer system sends a document
authoring page to the author computer. The author computer displays
the document authoring page in step 314. In a preferred embodiment,
the document authoring page is sent in the form of an HTML
document. The Web page corresponding to the HTML document includes
various components which enable an author to specify information
and parameters pertaining to the electronic document (e.g., the Web
page) which the author wishes to create. Specifically, the document
authoring page would enable the author to specify various content
and markup which the author would like to include in the author's
Web page.
[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates a document authoring page 370 in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In
a preferred embodiment, document authoring page 370 has a visual
appearance and helpful components which make it easy for the author
to specify the content of the author's Web page and how that Web
page will look. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the
document authoring page includes a first area 372 which emulates
the author's Web page, and a second area 374 which indicates
various types of components 376 (e.g., text areas, buttons, links,
banners, graphics, etc.) which the author could include on her Web
page, if desired. In a preferred embodiment, document authoring
page 370 also would include a third area 378 which includes
instructions and other information provided by the developer
system. In addition, document authoring page 370 also could include
one or more areas 380 into which the author could enter text or
other information which would be incorporated into or included on
the author's page. In a preferred embodiment, one or more of areas
372, 374, 378, and 380 could have hidden portions that could be
scrolled through, in order to enable the hidden portions of those
areas to include more information than is readily displayable on
the author computer's screen. In addition, in a preferred
embodiment, the emulated page displayed within first area 372 would
be scalable, so that the entire emulated page could be displayed
within first area 372, or a detail of the page could be "blown up"
and displayed within first area 372.
[0049] Initially, the emulated Web page in first area 372 would
look like a blank Web page, and the author would be able to "drag
and drop" various types of components 376 onto the emulated page.
The author would also be able to label those components, if
appropriate, and to input and place blocks of text and other
information on the emulated page.
[0050] In alternate embodiments, the document authoring page would
not include an emulated page area. Instead, the author would be
prompted in other ways to specify what components and text would be
included on the page, and possibly the author's desired locations
for those components and text segments. In these embodiments, the
author likely would not be provided the ability to drag and drop
components. Numerous different layouts for the document authoring
page could be readily contemplated based on the description
provided herein.
[0051] Referring back to FIG. 3, in step 316, the author enters
page information describing the author's desired Web page into the
document authoring page. Entrance of page information is described
in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 5.
[0052] In step 318, the author computer creates an HTML document
which includes the information specified by the author. The HTML
document would include content and, possibly, markup. In a
preferred embodiment, the HTML document is created and modified
simultaneously with step 316, and, before the author enters any
page information, initially describes a Web page that is blank. The
HTML document is then modified each time the author enters a new
piece of information. In an alternate embodiment, the HTML document
is created when the author is finished entering all
author-specified information.
[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the author is able to store the
HTML document locally on the author computer. For example, the
author may not wish to start and finish the editing process in a
single Internet session. Thus, the author would be given the option
to store the partially-edited document and disconnect from the
developer system's Web site. The author would then be able to
re-access the document authoring page at a later time, retrieve the
stored HTML document from the author computer's local memory, and
continue the authoring session. In an alternate embodiment, the
HTML document could be stored by the developer system between
authoring sessions.
[0054] Once the author is finished specifying information the
author would like to include on the author's Web page, the author
requests that the HTML document be submitted in step 320. In a
preferred embodiment, document submittal is performed when the
author clicks a "submit" button on the document authoring page. The
author computer then sends the document to the developer system in
step 322. In a preferred embodiment, the document is sent via
e-mail over the Internet. In alternate embodiments, the document
could be sent in some other manner.
[0055] Once the developer system has received the author-specified
document, the developer system notifies a developer, in step 324,
that such a document has been received. In step 326, the developer
then requests that the document be displayed on a developer's
computer which is part of the developer system. In a preferred
embodiment, the document is displayed when the developer invokes a
display tool (e.g., a browser or e-mail program) that is capable of
displaying electronic documents, such as Web pages, in the form of
graphical displays.
[0056] The document is displayed by the developer computer in step
328. The developer can then, in step 330, enter modifications to
the document in the form of additional or different content and/or
markup. In a preferred embodiment, modifications are entered by the
developer modifying the HTML document associated with the page. In
an alternate embodiment, the developer could enter modifications
using a document authoring tool similar to the document authoring
page initially used by the author to create the HTML document.
[0057] Some modifications could pertain to the page content, and
some modifications could pertain to the markup. Desirably, the
developer would telephone or e-mail the author (using information
entered by the author during the qualification phase, FIG. 2) to
discuss the author's proposed Web page and the developer's
suggested changes and additions. Alternatively, the developer and
author could communicate through some other means (e.g., through
online chat or e-mail exchanges).
[0058] The developer desirably is an expert in the field of Web
page authoring and design, and could suggest to the author various
modifications which may make the Web page more visually effective.
In addition, the developer could suggest modifications which may
make the Web page better suited for its intended purpose. For
example, if the author's Web page is primarily for the purpose of
conducting e-commerce, then the developer could suggest various
components which facilitate e-commerce transactions. The developer
also could discuss, with the author, the author's intended
audience, so that the developer could add markup and other features
to the author's page which would make the page more likely to be
accessed by the intended audience. The developer also may make
modifications (e.g., by adding additional markup) to the document
which the developer does not need to discuss with the author.
[0059] While the developer is modifying the HTML document, or when
the developer indicates that he is done modifying the document, the
developer computer displays the Web page associated with the
modified HTML document in step 332. Once the developer has
completed the initial round of modifications, the developer
requests that the modified HTML document be sent to the author in
step 334. The developer computer then sends the modified HTML
document to the author computer in step 336. In a preferred
embodiment, the document is sent via e-mail over the Internet. In
alternate embodiments, the document could be sent in some other
manner.
[0060] Once the author computer has received the modified document,
the author computer notifies the author, in step 338, that such a
document has been received. In step 340, the author then requests
that the document be displayed on the author computer. In a
preferred embodiment, the document is displayed when the author
invokes a display tool (e.g., a browser or e-mail program) that is
capable of displaying electronic documents, such as Web pages, in
the form of graphical displays.
[0061] The document is displayed by the author computer in step
342. The author then has the opportunity to review and approve the
proposed Web page in step 344. If the Web page is in a format that
is not acceptable to the author, then the author can modify the
HTML document herself or request that the developer make further
modifications. If the author does not desire (or is not able) to
modify the HTML document herself, then she can contact the
developer, via telephone, e-mail or otherwise, and request
additional modifications. The process would then re-enter step 326,
as indicated by method exit and entry points "B". Otherwise, the
author may modify the HTML document herself.
[0062] After the author approves the proposed Web page in step 344,
the author notifies the developer that the Web page is ready for
posting. The author could notify the developer via telephone,
e-mail, or other means.
[0063] In step 346, the developer would then perform the actions
necessary to post the modified HTML document to an appropriate
server. As part of this process, the developer computer would send
the HTML document to the appropriate server in step 348. The server
could be a server which enables access to the page via the
Internet, or the server could be part of a LAN or WAN that is not
accessible to the public at large. Regardless, the server would
post the document, in step 350, making the document available for
viewing by others. As described previously, in a preferred
embodiment, the server is a server associated with the developer
system. The method then ends.
[0064] One additional service that the developer could provide is
to help the author obtain and register a domain name. During steps
346 and 348, the developer would then make certain that the posted
page is accessible by entering the URL corresponding to that domain
name. Obtaining and registering a domain name could be performed by
the author, the developer, or someone else.
[0065] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for entering page
information in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. In a preferred embodiment, this method would be
carried out by an author, using an author computer, in conjunction
with step 316 of FIG. 3.
[0066] The method begins, in step 402, when the author selects a
background color and pattern which the author prefers for the Web
page being created. In a preferred embodiment, the document
authoring page would show a first array of small buttons, each of
which shows a color option, and a second array of small buttons,
each of which shows a pattern option. The author would click on the
button indicating which color she wants, and would click on the
button indicating which pattern she wants. The emulated page
portion of the document authoring page would be updated to show the
selected background and background color.
[0067] Next, the author would select, in step 404, electronic music
and/or graphics which the author would like her page to execute or
display upon page download. In a preferred embodiment, a set of
music and graphics would be available for the author to choose
from. In an alternate embodiment, the author could input
information enabling the page developer to obtain selected music
and graphics. For example, the author could input information
pointing to a particular Java applet available elsewhere on the
Web.
[0068] In step 406, the author would then provide a list of all
e-mail accounts which the author would like the developer system to
establish. In a preferred embodiment, each e-mail account could
include, as the domain name, the URL of the developer system
server, some other server, or the author's page name.
[0069] Next, in step 408, the author would select the particular
type of Web page that the author wishes to create, and a style for
that Web page. The page type selection could be made from a list of
page types. These page types could include the following, although
more, fewer, or different types also could be included: 1) company
profile; 2) history; 3) calendar; 4) related links; 5) services; 6)
products; 7) news letter; 8) contact information; or 9) other
(where the author would enter a description of the page type).
[0070] Similarly, the page style could be made from a list of page
styles. These page styles could include the following, although
more, fewer, or different styles also could be included: 1)
professional; 2) comic; 3) art deco; 4) children's; 5) southwest;
6) loud; or 7) other (where the author would enter a description of
the page style). Potentially hundreds of different page styles
could be offered, and the styles could be categorized for ease of
selection. In a preferred embodiment, the author would be able to
select multiple styles (e.g., "comic" and "loud").
[0071] In step 410, the author would drag and drop page components
onto the emulated page. As described previously, various page
components could include the following, although more, fewer, or
different types could be provided: text areas, buttons, links, and
banners. For certain types of components, the author would be
prompted to input additional information. For example, if the
author added a text area or a banner, the author would be prompted
to input the associated text. If the author added a link, the
author would be prompted to enter the URL corresponding to the link
destination. If the author added a button, the author would be
prompted to enter information (e.g., a URL of a particular Java
applet) corresponding to the code to be executed when a user clicks
that button.
[0072] In an alternate embodiment, information corresponding to
components added to the page could be input at a later time. In
still another alternate embodiment, the author may be provided some
other way to include components on the page being authored. For
example, in an embodiment where no emulated page is provided, the
author could be prompted to input a list of desired components and
their locations on the page, rather than dragging and dropping
desired components onto an emulated page.
[0073] In step 412, the author would then select one or more fonts
for the page's various text fields. For example, the author would
be able to specify that a particular banner be displayed in Arial
font at 18 points, while another text field would be displayed in
Times font at 12 points. In a preferred embodiment, the document
authoring page would list all page components for which a font
selection is possible. The author would then specify, next to each
component, the desired font. The fonts and font sizes could be
selected from a list provided by the authoring page, or could be
entered by the author in a text component. In an alternate
embodiment, the author may be provided the option of selecting a
single font and font size for all text and banner components which
the author included on the page.
[0074] The method for entering page information then ends. Numerous
alternate embodiments exist for the method described in conjunction
with FIG. 3, as would be obvious to one of skill in the art. For
example, the steps described could be performed in different
orders, or particular steps could be combined. In addition, more,
fewer or different page attributes could be available for an author
to select and specify. The process by which the author specifies
information also could be different. For example, instead of having
the author click on one of a list of possible choices, the author
may have to type in a description of a desired choice.
[0075] In a preferred embodiment, the page authoring options
described in conjunction with steps 402-412 are provided on a
single document authoring page, which the author scrolls down and
uses to make selections. The authoring options provided would
correspond to the features included in the design package selected
by the author in step 306 (FIG. 3). In alternate embodiments, one
or more of the authoring options could be provided on separate
pages sent by the developer system.
[0076] Although the description of the method of the present
invention specifies how a single Web page would be authored,
developed, and posted, the method of the present invention also
could be used to create an entire Web site comprised of multiple
pages. In such an application, the author would create multiple
pages, and would specify the appropriate linking between the pages
using the method of the present invention.
[0077] Although the method described herein specifically describes
the creation of a Web page defined by an HTML document, the method
could be used to create many different types of electronic
documents which may or may not eventually take the form of a Web
page. In addition, the method discusses the exchange of HTML
documents between the developer system and the author computer. In
alternate embodiments, files in different formats could be
exchanged.
[0078] Thus, a method and apparatus for authoring, developing, and
posting an electronic document has been described which overcomes
specific problems and accomplishes certain advantages relative to
prior art methods and mechanisms. One advantage to the method and
apparatus of the present invention is that it enables individuals
who have little or no expertise related to creating or posting Web
pages to specify parameters of a Web page that this individual
would like to create and post. Another advantage of the present
invention is that the individual can specify her Web page
parameters using her own computer. Another advantage is that Web
page development and hosting is done within a single Web page
developer system, thus simplifying and streamlining the page
development process.
[0079] The foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments will
so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others
can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt the
embodiments for various applications without departing from the
generic concept. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications
should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and
range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. In particular,
while a preferred embodiment has been described in terms of
authoring, developing, and posting an HTML document on the
Internet, those of skill in the art will understand, based on the
description herein, that the method and apparatus of the present
invention also could be applied to authoring almost any type of
electronic document, and posting that document on various other
types of networks, including LANs and WANs.
[0080] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
flowcharts presented herein are intended to teach the present
invention and that different techniques for implementing program
flow that do not necessarily lend themselves to flowcharting may be
devised. For example, each task discussed herein may be interrupted
to permit program flow to perform background or other tasks. In
addition, the specific order of tasks may be changed, and the
specific techniques used to implement the tasks may differ from
system to system.
[0081] It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology
employed herein is for the purpose of description, and not of
limitation. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all
such alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and variations as
fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *