U.S. patent application number 11/610374 was filed with the patent office on 2007-04-12 for document preservation.
Invention is credited to Seth A. Borg, Gene J. Wolfe.
Application Number | 20070083487 11/610374 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31188381 |
Filed Date | 2007-04-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070083487 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wolfe; Gene J. ; et
al. |
April 12, 2007 |
DOCUMENT PRESERVATION
Abstract
Content, such as a document, in a native format and modality are
acquired for preservation. A plurality of interfaces, specific to
the type of content, receive the content to be preserved. The
received content is indexed and preserved on a preservation media
for an indefinite or predetermined amount of time. The media is
specially selected such that preservation for an indefinite or
predetermined amount of time is possible.
Inventors: |
Wolfe; Gene J.; (Pittsford,
NY) ; Borg; Seth A.; (Rochester, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHERIDAN ROSS P C
SUITE 1200
1560 BROADWAY
DENVER
CO
80202
US
|
Family ID: |
31188381 |
Appl. No.: |
11/610374 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10625692 |
Jul 24, 2003 |
7171433 |
|
|
11610374 |
Dec 13, 2006 |
|
|
|
60398114 |
Jul 25, 2002 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 ;
707/999.001; 707/E17.008 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 707/99954 20130101;
G06F 16/93 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/001 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. A content preservation system comprising: at least one content
interface adapted to receive content; a document vault configured
to associate metadata with received content; a storage management
system that manages preservation specifics and queues one or more
preservation objects for preservation; and a preservation store
adapted to preserve one or more preservation objects on
preservation media.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a shelf management
module adapted to perform classification, indexing, management and
retrieval functionality.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data store, the data
store adapted to store metadata that serves as a representation of
the preservation object datum and indexers.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the data store has the ability to
preserve a representation of itself with a superset of all or a
portion of preservation requirements of managed jobs.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a preservation store
controller and preservation store that preserve the one or more
preservation objects on preservation media.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a profile module
capable of specifying preferences for one or more of preservation,
retrieval, metadata and queue management.
7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a retrieval interface
that cooperates with storage management system to facilitate
retrieval of preserved content.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein one or more of a preserved
content identifier, a Boolean query, a text model and a query can
be used to search for the preserved content.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the document vault is adapted to
be associated with one or more of a print cartridge, a toner bottle
and an ink reservoir.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content is at least one of a
document, digital content, a facsimile, multimedia, e-mail, video,
web page and music.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the content preservation system
stores the one or more preservation objects for at least one of an
indefinite or predetermined amount of time.
12. A method of preserving content comprising: receiving content;
associating metadata with received content; determining
preservation specifics; queuing one or more preservation objects
for preservation; and preserving the one or more preservation
objects on preservation media.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing
classification, indexing, management and retrieval functionality
for the one or more preservation objects.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing metadata in
a data store that represents preservation object datum and
indexers.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data store has the ability
to preserve a representation of itself with a superset of all or a
portion of preservation requirements of managed jobs.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising consulting a profile
for one or more preferences related to one or more of preservation,
retrieval, metadata and queue management.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining and
monitoring a retrieval interface that facilitates retrieval of
preserved content.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein one or more of a preserved
content identifier, a Boolean query, a text model and a query can
be used to search for the preserved content.
19. The method of claim 12, further comprising adapting a document
vault to be associated with one or more of a print cartridge, a
toner bottle and an ink reservoir.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the content is at least one of
a document, digital content, a facsimile, multimedia, e-mail,
video, web page and music.
21-32. (canceled)
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/398,114,
filed Jul. 25, 2002, entitled "Preservation System," which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] In general, the systems and method of this invention relate
to content preservation. In particular, the systems and methods of
this invention are directed to toward receiving content and
preserving that content for an indefinite or predetermined amount
of time.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Content, such as documents, can be produced on a variety of
devices and are available in a multiplicity of formats. For
example, modalities can include computer word processing documents,
spread sheets, presentations, images, hand-written documents, and
the like. Documents typically have a visual representation mode
congruent with human cognition. A documents representation and it
physical modality may have disjoint appearances, for example, a
magnetic media with documents stored thereon may have no visible
appearance, however may have an electromagnetic interpretation that
is human readable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] All the above-described types of content have a life-span
that is generally tied to the type of media the document is
recorded on that may not be equivalent to the needed life-span of
the document. Thus, a need exists to preserve information for a
period of time longer than the native modality of the information
storage media. Specifically, preservation, as referred to herein,
is defined as immutable storage for an indefinite or predetermined
amount of time. For example, preservation can be conventionally
defined as immutable storage for times greater than seven years,
while storage is typically less than seven years.
[0007] Accordingly, the systems and methods of this invention start
with content, such as a document, in a native format and modality.
A plurality of interfaces, specific to the type of content, receive
the content to be preserved. The received content is indexed and
preserved on a preservation media for an indefinite or
predetermined amount of time. The media is specially selected such
that preservation in accordance with the above definition is
possible.
[0008] Accordingly, an exemplary aspect of the invention relates to
preservation of content.
[0009] Additional exemplary aspects of the invention relate to
preserving documents for an indefinite or predetermined amount of
time.
[0010] Further aspects of the invention relate to providing a
document vault that allows the storage, retrieval, and
administration of content within a content preservation system.
[0011] Additional aspects of the invention related to various
implementations of a document vault.
[0012] Further aspects of the invention relate to providing a print
cartridge, toner bottle, ink reservoir, or the like, having
document vault functions contained therein associated with a laser
printer, digital print press, or other image forming device.
[0013] Further aspects of the invention relate to providing any
electronic device, such as a digital camera, video recorder, PDA,
communications device, or the like, having document vault functions
contained therein.
[0014] Exemplary aspects of the invention also relate to a user
interface that allows the receipt and retrieval of documents, as
well as the administration of a document preservation system.
[0015] Aspects of the invention further relate to methods for
document preservation.
[0016] Additional aspects of the invention relate to methods for
preserved content retrieval.
[0017] Additional aspects of the invention relate to methods for
preserved document retrieval.
[0018] Aspects of the invention also relate to methods for
preservation system management.
[0019] These and other features and advantages of this invention
are described in or are apparent from the following detailed
description of the embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The embodiments of this invention will be described in
detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an
exemplary embodiment of a preservation system according to this
invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating in greater
detail an exemplary embodiment of the document vault according to
this invention;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating in greater
detail an exemplary embodiment of the storage management system
according to this invention;
[0024] FIGS. 4-17 are screen shots of an exemplary user interface
that allows access to the preservation system according to this
invention;
[0025] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of
operation for document preservation according to this
invention;
[0026] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of
preserving a document according to this invention; and
[0027] FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of
retrieving a preserved document according to this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] The exemplary preservation system discussed herein comprises
5 distinct systems. In particular, a capture system, a storage
system, a preservation media system, a management system and a
recall system. Specifically, the preservation system 100 comprises
a document vault 200, a storage management system 300, a
preservation store 400, a user interface 500, preservation media
600, a plurality of different types of content 105, 110, 115, 120,
125 and 130, and corresponding content interfaces 135, 140, 145,
150, 155 and 160, respectively.
[0029] The exemplary systems and methods of this invention will be
described in relation to a preservation system. However, to avoid
unnecessarily obscuring the present invention, the following
description omits well-known structures and devices that may be
shown in block diagram form or otherwise summarized. For the
purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.
It should be however appreciated that the present invention may be
practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific details set
forth herein.
[0030] Furthermore, while the exemplary embodiment illustrated
herein show the various components of the preservation system
collocated, it is to be appreciated that the various components of
this system can be located at distant portions of a distributed
network, such as a LAN and/or the internet, or within a dedicated
preservation system. As an example, the capture system could be
disjoint from the preservation media. Thus, it should be
appreciated that the components of the preservation system can be
combined into one or more devices, or collocated on a particular
node of a distributed network, such as a communications network. It
will be appreciated from the following description, and for reasons
of computational efficiency, that the components of the
preservation system can be arranged at any location within a
distributed network without affecting the operation of the
system.
[0031] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links
connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any
combination thereof, or any other known or latter developed
element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or communicating data
to and from the connected elements. Likewise, these links may
involve physical transportation of a preservation system component,
media volume, datum, or the like. Additionally, the term module as
used herein can refer to any known or later developed hardware,
software, or combination of hardware and software that is capable
of performing the functionality associated with that element.
[0032] In operation, and in general, the preservation system 100
allows the importation of content, the exportation of content,
and/or administration of the system itself. For importation of
content, the content is received in association with the content's
corresponding interface. Upon receipt of the content at the
document vault 200, the content is captured and/or processed in
preparation for storage on the preservation media 600. In
conjunction with the capturing and/or processing process, metadata
about the content is also assembled based on, for example, a
profile, information associated with the capture device, or other
criteria. The content may also be rendered and simulated for the
preservation media's capabilities and format. As discussed
hereinafter, the metadata can include various types of information
including creation information, origination information, content
information, subject information, format information, or the like.
Once the metadata for the content is assembled, the content is
placed in temporary storage where the content and the associated
metadata will be referred to as a preservation object.
[0033] Upon association of the metadata with the content,
processing, simulation, rules, profile and/or user interface, the
preservation object is forwarded to the storage management
subsystem 300 and placed in a queue for preservation. The time and
type of preservation can be based on, for example, a profile and/or
other governing criteria and/or be dynamically determined as
discussed hereinafter. Upon a triggering event occurring that
governs preservation of the preservation object, the preservation
object is forwarded, via link 5, to the preservation store 400
which physically preserves the preservation object on preservation
media 600. The preservation store 400 also communicates information
back to the storage management subsystem 300 that indicates, for
example, when and where the preservation object is stored to
facilitate, for example, latter retrieval.
[0034] To retrieve content from the preservation media 600, a user,
for example via the user interface 500, searches and or selects one
or more items of content. In particular, if a search is received
from a user, the search is forwarded, via the document vault 200,
to the storage management subsystem 300 that stores the indexes
corresponding to the preserve content. Upon locating the preserved
content, the document vault 200 issues a request to the storage
management system 300 for retrieval of the preserved content by
placing the request in a queue. Then, for example, depending on one
or more of information in the request, a profile, or the like, the
storage management system 300, with the cooperation of the
preservation store 400, retrieves the content from an associated
preservation media 600. The content, upon retrieval, is then
forwarded from the storage management system 300 to temporary
storage in the document vault 200. The retrieved preserved content
is then forwarded to the user at the user interface 500. In
addition, the storage management subsystem 300 can be updated
indicating preserved content has been retrieved and forwarded to,
for example, a particular user. In addition to the standard
importing and exporting duties of the preservation system 100, the
preservation system 100, along with the cooperation of the document
vault 200 and the user interface 500, allows for the administration
of the preservation system 100. In particular, administration can
relate to managing profiles, managing one or more indexes in a
storage management subsystem 300, managing preservation or
retrieval queues, managing user information and/or group
information, access rights, metadata farming techniques, or the
like.
[0035] More specifically, document 105, such as a text document,
word processing document, book, magazine, or in general any of the
wide variety of printed information is received by the document
capture device 135. The document capture device 135, such as a
scanner, produces a representation of the document 105 that is
forwarded to the document vault 200. In addition to the
representation of the document, the document is capable of being
processed by optical character recognition software to capture the
content of the document. Furthermore, it should be appreciated,
that the document capture device 135, and other various interfaces
140-160, are also capable of obtaining information regarding, for
example, origination information about the document, user
information, or the like, that can supplement the metadata
associated with the content.
[0036] As with all the content that is forwarded to the document
vault 200, the respective content interfaces can compress and or
secure the content for transmittal to the document vault 200 as
necessary. Once the document 105 is at the document vault 200,
processing on the document continues as generally discussed above
for preservation of the document on the preservation media 600.
[0037] As an alternative type of content, digital content 110, such
as e-mail, a web page or family of web pages, digital photographs,
electronic documents, or the like, are processed by the digital
content interface 140. The digital content interface 140 can, for
example, convert the various types of digital content into a
predetermined format and, as discussed above, compress and/or
secure the content for transmittal to the document vault 200. Also
as discussed above, the content interfaces can simulate conversion
and transmittal content.
[0038] A third type of content is the facsimile 115. As with the
other documents, the facsimile 115 is received via the facsimile
interface 145, such as a fax machine, or other device capable of
receiving a facsimile transmission. As discussed above, the
facsimile interface 145 can also capture information, such as the
senders identification, date and time information, content
information, or the like, which can supplement the metadata added
by the document vault 200.
[0039] An additional type of content that can be preserved is A/V
or multimedia content 120. For example, movies, sounds, songs, or
in general any type of audio and/or video information can also be
preserved on preservation media 600. In particular, the A/V
multimedia content 120 is forwarded to the multimedia interface
150. The multimedia interface processes, for example, by
digitizing, the received content for delivery over link 5, to the
document vault 200. As with the remainder of interfaces, the
multimedia interface 150 is capable of obtaining information about
the received content. For example, upon a user submitting the
content to the particular interface, the interface, in cooperation
with the document vault 200, can query the user to enter
information about the particular content. For example, author
information, production information, copyright information,
distribution information, usage information, digital rights
information, or the like can be captured by the particular
interface that receives the content. Then, as discussed above, all
or a portion of this information can be used as metadata by the
document vault 200.
[0040] As an alternative embodiment, the preservation printer 125
is a data store in itself associated with a particular printer,
printing press, video source and/or image forming apparatus. In
accordance with a specific exemplary embodiment, the preservation
printer 125 includes a data store that is associated with a toner
cartridge, ink well, or the like. Thus, the data store maintains a
record of all or a portion of documents printed at the preservation
printer 125. Then, at a predetermined time, such as capacity of the
printer store being reached, exchange of the toner cartridge, or
the like, the information stored on the data store at the
preservation printer 125 is transferred, with the cooperation of
the preservation printer interface 155 and link 5, to the rest of
the document vault 200. As an example, the preservation store in
the preservation printer 125 can connect, via distributed network,
to the preservation printer interface 155. The preservation printer
interface 155 can download all, or a portion, of the documents
stored on the preservation printer data store. Alternatively, and
as with toner cartridges today, a spent toner cartridge can be sent
to a predetermined location. This predetermined location can then,
for example, associate the spent toner cartridge and associated
data store with a data store reader, such as the preservation
printer interface 155, that is capable of downloading all or a
portion of the information stored on the data store. This
information can then be forwarded to the document vault 200, along
with any associated metadata, in preparation for preservation.
[0041] In addition to the specific types of content discussed
above, other types of content 130 can be captured by the capture
interface 160 for preservation on the preservation media 600. In
general, any type of content in any format can be preserved in
accordance with the general operational parameters of the
preservation system 100.
[0042] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various
interfaces can cooperate with the preservation system 100 to
capture metadata associated with the particular content.
Additionally, the metadata need not be limited to information
specific to the content itself, but can rather be any information
that may be associated with one or more of the content and/or a
user(s).
[0043] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating in greater detail the
components of the document vault 200. In particular, the document
vault 200 comprises an incoming content processing module 210,
temporary storage 220, retrieval module 230, controller 240, I/O
interface 250 and memory 260. For content preservation, content is
received via the specific interface as discussed above. Upon
receipt, the incoming content processing module 210, in cooperation
with the controller 240, I/O interface 250 and memory 260, stores
the content in the temporary storage 220. Additionally, the
incoming content processing module 210 associates the metadata
information with the content. Specifically, the metadata can be,
for example, any characteristic, trait, feature, attribute or
property content may have associated with it. Metadata can be
unique or shared amongst a plurality of types of content.
Furthermore, the metadata can be predefined, intrinsic and/or
defined at the time of preservation. Additionally, it should be
appreciated that the metadata can also be supplemented, annotated
and/or edited at any point in time. In general, each preservation
object has at least one unique metadata field that accesses the
"serial number" that identifies the preservation object to the
preservation system 100. This serial number represents the minimum
amount of information the preservation system 100, and in
particular the storage management system 300, needs to index the
document for preservation, retrieval, and maintenance.
[0044] Thus, the incoming content processing module 210 can
passively receive information associated with content and identify
one or more portions of information as metadata and, as discussed
above perform a simulation of content preservation. Furthermore,
the incoming content processing module 210 can cooperate with one
or more of the interfaces to, for example, dynamically query the
interface, or for example a user, about supplemental information
that could also be used as metadata. It should further be
appreciated that the incoming content processing module 210 can
also explore additional systems (not shown) or query the
environment for metadata. For example, in the case of a network
printer, the incoming content processing module 210 will have
available to it information regarding, for example, the name of the
print job, the printer identification, time and date information
and the like, as well as the ability to actually determine, for
example, the identity of the user who printed the print job, the
author of the print job, the status of the print job, such as
edited, original, copy, or the like, or any other information that
could be used or is desired to be associated with the preservation
object. Furthermore, incoming content processing module 210 need
not be limited to specific information based on the queries from
the incoming content processing module 210. For example, a user at
user interface 500 can manually associate metadata with any
content. Upon the occurrence of a trigger, at a predetermined time,
or based on a rule, the preservation object(s) stored in the
temporary storage 220 are forwarded to the storage management
system 300, with the cooperation of the controller 240, the I/O
interface 250 and the memory 260. For example, upon the temporary
storage reaching a certain capacity, all or a portion of the
preservation object(s) can be forwarded to the storage management
system 300. Alternatively, for example, a user at the user
interface 500 can manually send one or more preservation objects to
the storage management subsystem 300 for preservation.
[0045] To retrieve content, in general, and assuming it has been
preserved, the user at the user interface 500 selects or searches
for preserved content. The retrieval module 230 cooperates with the
storage management system 300 and, upon locating the preserved
content, places the preserved content in a retrieval queue. Upon
retrieval, the preserved content is forwarded and stored in the
temporary storage 220 for access by the user at user interface
500.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates in greater detail an exemplary embodiment
of the storage management system 300. The storage management system
300 comprises a shelf management module 310, that comprises a data
store 305, a preservation queue management module 320, a retrieval
queue management module 330, a profile module 340, a preservation
store controller 350, a controller 360, an I/O interface 370 and a
memory 380. In general, the storage management system 300 provides
classification, indexing, management and retrieval functionality.
While some of the services and functions of the storage management
system 300 can be equated to a library card catalog, the storage
management system 300 extends the functionality to include, for
example, other datum and indexers. In addition, the storage
management system 300 manages the importation an exportation of
preserved content from the preservation media 600. Thus, as
discussed hereinafter, the importing and exporting functionalities
update the storage management system 300 data store 305.
[0047] In general, the self management module 310 and data store
305 perform functions similar to that of a card catalog. In
particular, the shelf management module 310, in cooperation with
the data store 305, store a surrogate record, e.g., description or
metadata, that serves as a short representation of a preservation
object. The preservation object(s) are arranged/retrieved by there
metadata, such as the preservation object's name, title, keywords,
which can be chosen by the shelf management module 310, or
otherwise identified, or the like. Thus, for example, the
preservation object is capable of being fully indexed and
searchable by the shelf management module 310. In addition to these
functions, the shelf management module 310 cooperates with the
preservation queue management module, profile module 340
preservation store controller 350, controller 360, 1/0 interface
370 and memory 380 to import a preservation object into the
preservation system 100. Specifically, to import content into the
preservation system 100, the preservation object is received from
the document vault 200. At this stage, additional metadata can be
associated with the preservation object by the shelf management
module 310. This metadata can include, for example, predicted time
and date of preservation, and identification of the particular
preservation media to be used, or the like. Furthermore, and in
cooperation with the profile module 340, the storage management
system 300 determines if there are any particular preferences
governing the preservation of the preservation objects. These
preferences can include, for example, specifying when the
preservation is to occur, the type of indexing to be used on the
preservation object, what preservation media volume to use, the
priority of the job, duplicate copies to make, or the like. The
shelf management module 310 data store 305 also has the ability to
preserve its store with a superset of all or a portion of the
preservation requirements of the disparate jobs being managed. The
shelf management module 310 accomplishes this by preserving its
data store as a preservation document itself.
[0048] To facilitate actual preservation of the preservation
object, the shelf management module 310, in cooperation with the
data store 305, preservation queue management module 320,
preservation store controller 350, controller 360, I/O interface
370 and memory 380 determine the specifics of the preservation.
Next, a priority is assigned to the one or more preservation
objects that are to be preserved and the one or more preservation
objects are placed in a preservation queue which is managed by the
preservation queue management module 320. In addition to the
metadata already associated with the one or more preservation
objects, the preservation system 100 also provides the opportunity
at this point before preservation to associate any additional
metadata that may be desired with the preservation object(s) to be
preserved. If any supplemental metadata is associated with the
preservation object, a data store 305 is updated with the new
metadata and preservation object, and at the control of the
preservation store controller 350, forwarded to the preservation
store 400, via link 5, for physical recordation on the preservation
media 600. Upon confirmation that the preservation store 400 has
successfully preserved the one or more preservation objects on the
preservation media 600, the one or more preservation objects are
deleted from a temporary storage.
[0049] For a retrieval, one ore more of a search criteria or
identity, e.g., serial number, of the preserved content is received
from the user interface 500 at the retrieval module 230. The
inbound request for the preserved content can specify search
criteria that can identify preserved content, operations to be
performed, and/or a text model.
[0050] Upon confirmation that the preserved content is available,
the system can optionally refer to a profile that specifies, for
example, retrieval options, display options, forwarding options, or
the like. Next, in cooperation with the shelf management module
210, the data store 3 05, and the retrieval queue management module
330, a logical view of the requested preserved content, e.g., one
or more types of content, is generated and a text index assembled.
The retrieval request is then placed in the retrieval queue and
managed by the retrieval queue management module 330.
[0051] The retrieval queue management module 330 cooperates with
the preservation store controller 350 to pick the one or more
requested documents from one or more preservation media 600. The
requested documents are then forwarded, via the storage management
system 300, the document vault 200 and link 5 to, for example, the
user interface 500, or another destination as specified in profile
such as an e-mail address, internet protocol address, fax number,
printer, or the like. In conjunction with forwarding of the
requested preserved content, the data store 305 is updated
indicating, for example, that a user has "checked out" a portion of
preserved content.
[0052] In addition to forwarding the preserved content to a user
through user interface 500, the retrieval module 230 can cooperate
with the profile module 340 and any profile associated with the
preserved content to control, for example, displaying of the object
at the user interface 500, display characteristics, or the like.
For example, based on one or more of the above, the rendering
application or rendering characteristics can be controlled, or the
like. As discussed above, simulation can also be performed at this
time by simulating the document's appearance and, for example,
displaying it to a user.
[0053] The media used for preservation can encompass any
combination of a plurality of conventional content storage
mechanisms including, but not limited to, ink and paper, film
exposed and developed, microfilm, silicon substrates etched
lithographically, titanium or similar foil etched with a laser
and/or recordable optical disks where the disk is burned with one
or more of digital information and a visible image that can be
viewed.
[0054] FIGS. 4-17 are screen shots of exemplary user interfaces a
user and/or an administrator may encounter during interaction with
the preservation system 100. However, while the various interfaces
illustrated hereinafter may be used with the preservation system
100, it should be appreciated the system can run in the background
and, for example, capture content for preservation without
requiring user interaction. While the exemplary embodiments
illustrated in the various screen shots hereinafter show numerous
types of selection devices, such as radio buttons, pull down menus,
buttons, and the like, it should be appreciated that any type of
user interface can be used with equal success in accordance with
the systems and methods of this invention.
[0055] In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary and optional
login screen that can, for example, query a user/administrator for
one or more of a user name and password to gain access to one or
more portions of the preservation system 100. In this particular
exemplary embodiment, upon entering the correct user name and
password and clicking on the "login" button, the user is granted
access to preservation system functionality. Specifically, the
primary interface for a user is illustrated in FIG. 5. In the
various exemplary interfaces disclosed herein, a network browser is
used as the conduit for obtaining access to the preservation system
100. However, it should be appreciated, that any type of interface
can be used with equal success with the systems and methods of this
invention. For example, any type of internet capable browser, or
dedicated user interface can be used.
[0056] In particular, the search criteria interface 501 in FIG. 5
allows for one or more search terms to be entered for locating
preserved content. In addition to selectable options for word
matching and sort order, it should be appreciated that not only
simple search terms can be entered in the interface 501, but also
search terms combined with Boolean operators can be used to
facilitate location of preserved content. Additionally, it should
be appreciated that searches within searched results are possible
to help narrow a particular set of available preserved content.
Status interface 503 indicates that the interface is for a user
and, for example, any group the user may be associated with and the
type of user, such as, administrator, regular user, or the like. If
a user chooses to logout, the user could select the logout button
505. Alternatively, if a user selects the preferences button 513,
the user is taken to the interface illustrated in FIG. 12.
[0057] In addition to the search functionality discussed above, the
user can also manage and navigate through folders and preservation
objects. In particular, through the use of the create interface
507, a user is able to create one or more additional folders to
facilitate, for example, organization of one or more preservation
objects. Associated with one or more folders, is the capacity
indicator 509 that indicates, for example, one or more of the
occupied or available capacity of the system. This capacity can be
based on, for example, user requirements, a profile, overall system
capacity, or the like. Similarly, the administration button 511,
when selected, and if the user is an administrator, forwards the
user to the interface illustrated in FIG. 9.
[0058] Interfaces 515-539 allow for the selection, management, and
organization of folders. In particular, interface 515 indicates the
folder(s) currently available to the particular user. For example,
through the use of pull down menu 517, the user can quickly access
the available folder(s). In a similar manner, the "my folders"
interface 519 can provide, for example, a certain subset of folders
available to the particular user. The subset of folders is
available through, for example, pull down menu 521.
[0059] Display portion 523 lists the preservation objects currently
contained within the selected folder. For this exemplary
embodiment, the selected folder was the administrator folder and
there are four files contained therein. Specifically, preservation
objects 529 have information associated therewith, that can be
sorted, such as by size, date and time, type, comments, actions, or
any other filed as appropriate. Specifically, upon selection of the
button 531, thumbnails associated with the particular preservation
document are retrieved, as illustrated in FIG. 12. Likewise, upon
selection of the deletion button 533, the preservation object can
be deleted from the preservation queue. Attribute button 535 allows
the user to modify and/or add attributes associated with the
preservation object. Move button 537 allows the user to move the
preservation object to another folder. In a similar manner, a user
can "drag and drop" one or more preservation objects between
various folders.
[0060] The comment section 527 allows a user, and/or metadata, to
illustrate comments associated with a particular preservation
object. The preservation button 539 allows a user to immediately
preserve one or more preservation objects for preservation.
[0061] FIG. 6 illustrates high level file system administration
functions provided by the preservation system. In particular,
button 601 logs a user out of the preservation system. Button 603,
when selected, returns the user to the home folder as illustrated
in FIG. 5. The manage groups button 605 forwards a user to the
interface illustrated in FIG. 7 which allows, for example, the
administration of groups and users within those groups. The manage
user button 607 forwards the user to the interface illustrated in
FIG. 8 that allows specific configuration of users and the access
rights for those users to the preservation system. The log button
609 forwards the user to the interface illustrated in FIG. 10 that
allows selection and manipulation of one or more logs associated
with the preservation system.
[0062] FIG. 7 illustrates the administrator group interface. In
particular, and in addition to some of the common functionalities
such as logging out and basic navigation, the administrator group
interface also includes the ability to add a new group via the
button 705 and associated group entry field 701. In addition, one
or more existing groups can also be modified through the use of the
modified group button 707 and the associated group selection drop
down menu 703.
[0063] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary user administration
interface. In particular, the user administration interface allows
basic navigation through the selection of links 801. In addition,
the user administration interface provides an add new user portion
803 that allows, for example, the adding of a new user where, for
example, a login name, password, real name, and/or other
identifiers are used to add a new user that is able to access the
preservation system 100. In addition to the above, a security level
can be associated with the particular user via the security level
interface 807. Furthermore, via the group interface 805,
association of the user with one or more groups and features such
as adding default folders can be managed. In addition to the
capability of adding new users, via the edit user interface 809,
one or more characteristics of a user can be modified. For example,
security levels, storage or retrieval profiles, or in general, any
characteristic of a user can be added or edited in accordance with
the basic functionality illustrated in the user administration
interface.
[0064] FIG. 9 highlights in specific detail features associated
with a particular user "administrator." Specifically, in portion
901, a general overview of the user is given including the group(s)
the user belongs to, as well as basic functionality allowing
removal or addition to one or more groups. In portion 903, the
user's password can be reset and in portion 905 a user's e-mail
address associated with the particular user. Portion 907 summarizes
the security level of the user while in portion 909 a general
overview of the folders, statistics, and quota for the particular
selected user are displayed.
[0065] The log interface illustrated in FIG. 10 provides the
ability for a user to one or more of select a session log, upload a
log, download a log, or the like. In particular, these logs can
contain, for example, the preservation and retrieval information
associated with content that was preserved on one or more
preservation media. In addition, these logs can contain basic
information regarding user access to the preservation system or, in
general, any information relating to the preservation system
including, but not limited to, errors, capacities, historical
bandwidth, user accesses, security violations, or the like.
[0066] FIG. 11 illustrates in greater detail the viewing of a
session log. In particular, log list 1101 illustrates the logs that
are available. Upon selection of one or more logs, the logs can be
downloaded and viewed, for example, by an administrator or other
user.
[0067] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary user preference menu. In
particular, in addition to the basic preferences such as password,
home folder, e-mail address, and name options, additional features
can be managed by a user that, for example, are stored in a profile
that may specify storage options, preservations options, retrieval
options, or the like. In general, any option associated with
interfacing with the preservation system can be managed by one or
more or a user and administrator.
[0068] FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary file access right
interface. In particular, the selected file having associated
rights is identified at 1301. In addition, confirmation such as the
owner 1303 and access rights 1305 are summarized for the particular
file 1301. In addition to summarization, reading and righting
access can be added or modified via the buttons 1307 and 1309.
[0069] FIG. 14 illustrates an interface showing the result of
performing a search using the search interface 501 illustrated in
FIG. 5. In this exemplary search result interface, the search terms
can optionally be reproduced in 1401 and the results displayed in a
result portion 1403. In addition to just indicating a basic match,
score indicators can also be associated with the one or more search
results illustrated in 1403.
[0070] FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary interface as a result of
selecting the display thumbnail button 531. In particular, the
thumbnail interface has an image portion 1501 and a text portion
1503 thus, for example, for each page within a document, a
corresponding image and text portion can be shown in the thumbnail
interface. In addition, a view image button 1505 can be provided
that allows, for example, enlargement for better viewing of the
image. Furthermore, add comment button 1507 allows a user to add a
comment associated with the particular page of the displayed
document.
[0071] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary interface that results from
clicking on the view image button 1505 illustrated in FIG. 15. In
particular, the interface in FIG. 16 allows, for example, the
manipulation of the image through navigation buttons 1601 and 1603
that allow, for example, snapping to original size, double size,
half size, or fit to window, and zooming in, zooming out, flipping,
rotating, resetting and closing, respectively.
[0072] FIG. 18 illustrates a flowchart that provides a general
overview of the functionality associated with the preservation
system. In particular, control begin in step S100 and continues to
step S110. In step S110, a determination is made whether to import
content for preservation. If content is to be imported, control
continues to step S111. Otherwise, control jumps to step 120.
[0073] In step S111, a determination is made whether preserved
content is to be exported from a preservation media. If preserved
content is to be exported, control continues to step S121.
Otherwise, control jumps to step S112. In step S112, a user is
allowed to access the preservation system to perform on or more of
administrative and housekeeping functions. Control then continues
to step S122 where a user is allowed to manage and/or administer
the storage management system. Control then continues to step S200
where the control sequence ends.
[0074] In step S121, a user selects and or searches for preserved
content. Next, in step S131, the preserved content is located.
Then, in step S141, the preserved content is placed in the
retrieval queue. Control then continues to step S151.
[0075] In step S151, the preserved content is place in temporary
storage. Next, in step S161, the preserved content is forwarded to
a user or, for example as discussed above, based on the profile
forwarded to a predetermined location.
[0076] In step S120, content is received via an appropriate
interface. Next, in step S130, the content is captured and or
processed in preparation for preservation. Then, in step S140,
metadata is assemble about the imported content. Control then
continues to step S150.
[0077] In step S150, the preservation object is placed in temporary
storage. Next, in step S160, the preservation object is forwarded
to the storage management system. Then, in step S170, and if the
preservation object is to be preserved, the preservation object is
placed in the queue for preservation. In addition, as discussed
above, the timing and/or specifics regarding preservation can be
managed by a profile associated with one or more of the
preservation object and a user. Control then continues to step
S180.
[0078] In step S180, the preservation object is preserved on
preservation media. Then, in step S190, temporary storage is purged
and control continues to step S200 where the control sequence
ends.
[0079] FIG. 19 illustrates in greater detail the storage and/or
simulation of content on preservation media. In particular control
begins in step S300 and continues to step S310. In step S310, a
content is received as discussed above via the appropriate content
interface. Next, in step S320, metadata associated with the content
is obtained. For example, as discussed earlier, the resource of
metadata is the input modality. This can include items such, for
example, time, date, user, size, physical attributes, or the like.
Another source for metadata is the documents itself. For example,
key words can be extracted from the documents or strings of
keywords extracted, for example, from an optical character
recognition device, or the like. These keywords can then be used as
metadata. Furthermore, other types of metadata that could be
searched include shape, color, sound, or the like. Another source
of metadata is that the keywords can be parsed by a natural
language processing engine to generate a topic map and summary of
the document. Alternatively, an appropriately authorized user may
login and annotate and individual portion of the document,
keywords, or the summary, or the like, and these annotations can be
considered as metadata themselves. Next, in step S330, one or more
of the content, metadata, and user are reviewed to determine if a
profile is associated with the preservation of that document. If,
as discussed above, a profile is associated with any of the above,
the profile can control various aspects of the preservation
process. Control then continues to step S340.
[0080] In step S340 determination is made whether to preserve the
preservation object. If the preservation object is to be preserved,
control continues to step S350. Otherwise, control jumps to step
S430.
[0081] In step S350, the preservation object is stored in the
temporary storage. Next, in step S360, the specifics regarding
preservation are determined, such as time, preferences for
preservation, and the like. Then, in step S370, a priority is
assigned to the preservation process. Control then continues to
step S380.
[0082] In step S380, a determination is made whether additional
metadata should be associated with the document. If addition
metadata is to be associated with the document, control continues
to step S390 where additional metadata is
determined/received/updated and associated with the document.
Otherwise, control jumps to step S400 where the data store is
updated. Control then continues to step S410.
[0083] In step S410 a determination is made whether to preserve the
preservation object. If the document is to be preserved, control
continues to step S420 where the documents are forwarded for
preservation on preservation media by the preservation store.
Control then continues to step S430.
[0084] In step S430 the temporary storage is purged. Control then
continues to step S440 where the control sequence ends.
[0085] FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary retrieval process according
to this invention. In particular, control begins in step S500 and
continues to step S510. In step S510, one or more of search
criteria, operations to be performed, and text model specified to
facilitate retrieval of preserved content. Next, in step S520, the
retrieval query can be reconciled with the profile that, for
example, as discusses above, specifies retrieval characteristic,
display characteristics, or the like. Then, in step S530, a logical
view of the requested preserved content(s) is generated. Control
then continues to step S540.
[0086] In step S540, a text index is assembled for the requested
preserved content. Next, in step S550, a requested document(s) is
placed in the retrieval queue. Then, in step S560, the preserved
content is picked from the preservation media upon which it is
stored. Control then continues to step S570.
[0087] In step S570, the preserved content is forwarded to the
user. Next, in step S580, the data store is updated and control
continues to step S590 where the control sequence ends.
[0088] The above-described systems and methods can be implemented
on a document, image and/or A/V processing device, or the like, or
on a separate programmed general purpose computer having image
processing capabilities. Additionally, the systems and methods of
this invention can be implemented on a special purpose computer, a
programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral
integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit,
a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic
circuit such as discrete element circuit, a programmable logic
device such as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL,, or the like. In general, any
device capable of implementing a state machine that is in turn
capable of implementing the flowcharts illustrated herein can be
used to implement the preservation system according to this
invention.
[0089] Furthermore, the disclosed methods may be readily
implemented in software using object or object-oriented software
development environments that provide portable source code that can
be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms.
Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or
fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design.
Whether software or hardware is used to implement the systems in
accordance with this invention is dependent on the speed and/or
efficiency requirements of the system, the particular function, and
the particular software or hardware systems or microprocessor or
microcomputer systems being utilized. The systems and methods
illustrated herein however can be readily implemented in hardware
and/or software using any known or later developed systems or
structures, devices and/or software by those of ordinary skill in
the applicable art from the functional description provided herein
and with a general basic knowledge of the computer and storage
arts.
[0090] Moreover, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented
in software executed on programmed or abstract general purpose
computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the
like. Likewise, the systems and methods disclosed herein may be
modified based on future developments that may provide better a
preservation store and associated media. In these instances, the
systems and methods of this invention can be implemented as a
program embedded on personal computer such as JAVA.RTM. or CGI
script, as a resource residing on a server or graphics workstation,
as a routine embedded in a dedicated preservation system, or the
like. The system can also be implemented by physically
incorporating the system and method into a software and/or hardware
system, such as the hardware and software systems of a preservation
system.
[0091] It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in
accordance with the present invention, systems and methods for
content preservation. While this invention has been described in
conjunction with a number of embodiments, it is evident that many
alternatives, modifications and variations would be or are apparent
to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts. Accordingly, it
is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications,
equivalents and variations that are within the spirit and scope of
this invention.
* * * * *