U.S. patent application number 13/232283 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-14 for system and method for managing licenses of aggregate documents.
This patent application is currently assigned to XEROX CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is Venkatesh Guru Rao, Jesse Silverstein, David Russell Vandervort. Invention is credited to Venkatesh Guru Rao, Jesse Silverstein, David Russell Vandervort.
Application Number | 20130066792 13/232283 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47830711 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130066792 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vandervort; David Russell ;
et al. |
March 14, 2013 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING LICENSES OF AGGREGATE DOCUMENTS
Abstract
There is provided a method and system to manage licensing
information associated with an aggregate document. In accordance
with the method, a selection of an aggregate document that includes
at least one associated sub-document is received. Each of the at
least one sub-document is associated with at least one copyright
flag. A sub-document is selected from the at least one
sub-document. A copyright flag is selected from the at least one
copyright flag associated with the selected sub-document. It is
determined whether the selected copyright flag is resolved. The
selected sub-document is exported to an export document capable of
being transmitted to a computing system associated with a user if
it is determined that the selected copyright flag is resolved.
Inventors: |
Vandervort; David Russell;
(Walworth, NY) ; Rao; Venkatesh Guru; (Las Vegas,
NV) ; Silverstein; Jesse; (Rochester, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Vandervort; David Russell
Rao; Venkatesh Guru
Silverstein; Jesse |
Walworth
Las Vegas
Rochester |
NY
NV
NY |
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
XEROX CORPORATION
Norwalk
CT
|
Family ID: |
47830711 |
Appl. No.: |
13/232283 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/310 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 21/10 20130101;
G06Q 10/10 20130101; G06Q 50/184 20130101; G06F 16/93 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/310 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00 |
Claims
1. A method of managing licensing information associated with
aggregate documents, the method comprising: receiving a selection
of an aggregate document that includes at least one associated
sub-document, each of the at least one sub-document associated with
at least one copyright flag; selecting a sub-document from the at
least one sub-document; selecting a copyright flag from the at
least one copyright flag associated with the selected sub-document;
determining whether the selected copyright flag is resolved; and
exporting the selected sub-document to an export document capable
of being transmitted to a computing system associated with a user
if it is determined that the selected copyright flag is
resolved.
2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:
determining whether the selected copyright flag indicates that
standard copyright applies to the selected sub-document; locating a
permission of an author for the selected sub-document; and adding
the selected sub-document to the export document if the permission
is located.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein locating permission comprises
determining the permission maintained in association with the
selected sub-document in a database.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein locating permission comprises:
contacting the author electronically to obtain the permission; and
receiving the permission from the author electronically.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein contacting the author
electronically comprises requesting a user to provide an electronic
address at which to contact the author.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein contacting the author
electronically further comprises retrieving an electronic address
at which to contact the author, the electronic address maintained
in association with the selected sub-document in a database.
7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising determining
whether the selected copyright flag indicates that non-standard
copyright applies to the selected sub-document.
8. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising
automatically performing at least one action to resolve the at
least one flag, the at least one action including one or more of
adding attribution, license or watermark information to the export
document.
9. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising:
determining whether additional information is required from the
user; and receiving the additional information from user via the
user computing device.
10. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising:
determining whether payment is required from the user; and
receiving the payment from user via the user computing device.
11. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising:
determining whether a requirement certification is required from
the user; and receiving the requirement certification from user via
the user computing device.
12. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising
transmitting the export document to the user computing device.
13. A system to manage licensing information associated with
aggregate documents, the system comprising: an aggregate document
search engine configured to receive a selection of an aggregate
document that includes at least one associated sub-document, each
of the at least one sub-document associated with at least one
copyright flag; a sub-document selector configured to select a
sub-document from the at least one sub-document; a flag selector
configured to select a copyright flag from the at least one
copyright flag associated with the selected sub-document; a license
compliance engine configured to determine whether the selected
copyright flag is resolved; and an export document generator
configured to export the selected sub-document to an export
document capable of being transmitted to a computing system
associated with a user if it is determined that the selected
copyright flag is resolved.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system further comprises:
the method further comprising: an iterator configured to determine
whether the selected copyright flag indicates that standard
copyright applies to the selected sub-document; a permission
locator configured to locate a permission of an author for the
selected sub-document; and a sub-document adder configured to add
the selected sub-document to the export document if the permission
is located.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the permission locator is
further configured to determine whether the permission is
maintained in association with the selected sub-document in a
database.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the permission locator is
further configured to: contact the author electronically to obtain
the permission; and receive the permission from the author
electronically.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the permission locator is
further configured to request a user to provide an electronic
address at which to contact the author.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the permission locator is
further configured to retrieve an electronic address at which to
contact the author, the electronic address maintained in
association with the selected sub-document in a database.
19. The system of claim 13, an iterator configured to determine
whether the selected copyright flag indicates that non-standard
copyright applies to the selected sub-document.
20. The system of claim 19, further comprising an automatic flag
resolver configured to automatically perform at least one action to
resolve the at least one flag, the at least one action including
one or more of attribution, license or watermark information added
to the export document.
21. The system of claim 19, further comprising an additional
information receiver configured to: determine whether additional
information is required from the user; and receive the additional
information from user via the user computing device.
22. The system of claim 19, further comprising a payment receiver
configured to: determine whether payment is required from the user;
and receive the payment from user via the user computing
device.
23. The system of claim 19, further comprising a requirement
certificator configured to: determine whether a requirement
certification is required from the user; and receive the
requirement certification from user via the user computing
device.
24. The system of claim 13, further comprising an export subsystem
configured to transmit the export document to the user computing
device.
25. A method of building aggregate documents, the method
comprising: generating an aggregate document; associating a
sub-document to the generated aggregate document; discovering at
least one license term that applies to the associated sub-document;
and generating at least one copyright flag for the at least one
discovered license term in association with the sub-document.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein generating an aggregate
document comprises generating an aggregate document identifier for
the aggregate document in a first database.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein associating a sub-document to
the generated aggregate document comprises associating an
identifier for the sub-document to the identifier for the aggregate
document in the first database.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein generating at least one
copyright flag comprises associating at least one copyright flag
identifier for the at least one discovered license term to an
identifier for the sub-document in a second database.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising associating at least
one value identifier to the at least one copyright flag identifier
for the identifier of the sub-document in the second database.
30. The method of claim 25, further comprising maintaining the
sub-document in a document repository.
31. A system to build aggregate documents, the system comprising:
an aggregate document generator configured to generate an aggregate
document; a sub-document adder configured to associate a
sub-document to the generated aggregate document; a sub-document
license discoverer configured to discover at least one license term
that applies to the associated sub-document; and a sub-document
license flag generator configured to generate at least one
copyright flag for the at least one discovered license term in
association with the sub-document.
32. The system of claim 31, wherein the aggregate document
generator is further configured to generate an aggregate document
identifier for the aggregate document in a first database.
33. The system of claim 21, wherein sub-document adder is further
configured to associate an identifier for the sub-document to the
identifier for the aggregate document in the first database.
34. The system of claim 31, wherein the sub-document license flag
generator is further configured to associate at least one copyright
flag identifier for the at least one discovered license term to an
identifier for the sub-document in a second database.
35. The system of claim 34, wherein the sub-document license flag
generator is further configured to associate at least one value
identifier to the at least one copyright flag identifier for the
identifier of the sub-document in the second database.
36. The system of claim 31, further comprising a document
repository configured to maintain the sub-document.
37. A method of assessing license compliance of an aggregate
document that includes at least one associated sub-document, the
method comprising: selecting a copyright flag associated with a
sub-document of the at least one sub-document, the copyright flag
associated with licensing information for the sub-document;
determining whether the copyright flag is resolved; and selectively
exporting the selected sub-document to an export document for
transmission to a computing system based on determination that the
copyright flag is resolved.
38. The method of claim 37, further comprising resolving the
copyright flag.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein resolving the copyright flag
comprises: determining whether standard copyright or non-standard
copyright applies based on the copyright flag; and resolving the
copyright flag in accordance with the determination that standard
copyright or non-standard copyright applies.
40. The method of claim 39, further comprising automatically
resolving the copyright flag when non-standard copyright
applies.
41. The method of claim 40, wherein automatically resolving the
copyright flag comprises adding information to the export document
or transmitting notification of sub-document use.
42. The method of claim 39, further comprising receiving at least
one of additional information, payment and requirement
certification when non-standard copyright applies.
43. The method of claim 39, further comprising automatically
resolving the copyright flag when standard copyright applies.
44. The method of claim 43, wherein automatically resolving the
copyright flag comprises determining that author permission is
recorded or received.
45. The method of claim 39, further comprising receiving at least
one of author contact information, author permission, and user
certification when standard copyright applies.
46. A system of assessing license compliance of an aggregate
document that includes at least one associated sub-document, the
system comprising: a license compliance engine configured to:
select a copyright flag associated with a sub-document of the at
least one sub-document, the copyright flag associated with
licensing information for the sub-document; and determine whether
the copyright flag is resolved such that the sub-document can be
selectively exported to an export document for transmission to a
computing system based on determination that the copyright flag is
resolved.
47. The system of claim 46, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to resolve the copyright flag.
48. The system of claim 47, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to: determine whether standard copyright or
non-standard copyright applies based on the copyright flag; and
resolve the copyright flag in accordance with the determination
that standard copyright or non-standard copyright applies.
49. The system of claim 48, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to automatically resolve the copyright flag
when non-standard copyright applies.
50. The system of claim 49, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to add information to the export document or
transmit notification of sub-document use.
51. The system of claim 48, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to receive at least one of additional
information, payment and requirement certification when
non-standard copyright applies.
52. The system of claim 48, further comprising automatically
resolving the copyright flag when standard copyright applies.
53. The system of claim 52, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to determine that author permission is
recorded or received.
54. The system of claim 48, wherein the license compliance engine
is further configured to receive at least one of author contact
information, author permission, and user certification when
standard copyright applies.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field
[0002] The present application relates to document management. More
specifically, the present application is directed to a system and
method of managing licenses for aggregate documents.
[0003] 2. Brief Discussion of Related Art
[0004] Traditional copyright restricts the use of copyrighted
works, such as software. However, copyright owners have always been
able to give permission to use their works on a case-by-case basis,
usually in return for payment. There has also been a long tradition
of some copyright owners allowing their works to be used for
academic purposes for reduced payment or even for free.
Accordingly, the right of copyright owners to agree to certain uses
(or licenses) of their works is well established.
[0005] The "open source" movement, which draws on talents of
volunteers to develop software that can be shared by all, pioneered
the creation of sharing licenses that go beyond standard copyright
in what others are allowed to do with the software. These licenses,
originating as they do from owners of the work, supersede the
copyright for the work by specifying conditions under which the
software can be used by others.
[0006] The GNU project's General Public License (GPL) was one of
the first licenses to value freedom of use over an individual
author's control. The GPL allows others to freely modify software
written under the GPL and use the software as they like. However,
GPL requires that, if such modified software is redistributed, the
redistributed software must also be covered under the GPL. In
effect, this license does not only grant freedom of use, it
requires it.
[0007] There are many variants of licenses that grant the ability
to modify and redistribute the software, with terms that vary
widely from the GPL. For example, the Mozilla Public License
requires that when software covered by the license is modified and
redistributed, the redistributed software must include a file that
contains a list of the modifications made to the software. As
another example, the PHP license (version 3) allows modification of
the software, but places restrictions on the use of the name PHP in
the redistribution of the software.
[0008] There are also a number of licenses that apply to written
work other than software. The so-called "copyleft" licenses that
typically allow or restrict the creation of derivative works from
the original work, require that the original author be given
credit, and specify whether the granted rights apply to commercial,
non-commercial, academic or any uses. An example of a copyleft
license is the Academic Free License, which permits translations,
adaptations and even public performances of works created under
it.
[0009] A popular collection of licenses is held under the rubric of
the Creative Commons, which classifies the licenses for the rights
they grant to end users. For example, the "no derivative works"
license allows works to be freely copied but not altered in any
way. The terms of licenses under the Creative Commons can be
combined to meet the needs of almost any author.
[0010] Though there are variations of open sharing licenses, most
works are still published without explicit licenses. In these
cases, standard copyright applies by default.
[0011] With the advent and proliferation of the Internet, various
documents--such as web pages from different sources--can be
combined into a single printable (aggregate) document. Meanwhile,
the "open source" and "copyleft" movements have spawned a wide
variety of ways in which copyright terms are modified by
author-specified licensing terms that make re-use of documents
possible outside the normal boundaries of copyright. However, these
licensing terms often require specific forms of attribution or
restrict copying to certain types of uses, such as to academic or
non-commercial uses.
[0012] Accordingly, when documents (e.g., web pages) or other
materials from different sources are combined into an aggregate
document, as is increasingly the case, there are important concerns
about copyright and licensing issues. Specifically, there may be
many different sets of usage requirements that must be obeyed or at
least reported. Sometimes, terms of different licenses may not even
be compatible, in which case the document must be changed somehow
to remove the conflict. The terms of different licenses represents
a management problem, which untrained end users cannot be expected
to understand or deal with manually and which presents a
substantial burden for the end users. Moreover, violation of
copyright or even of open license terms can result in expensive
legal actions and significant penalties.
SUMMARY
[0013] In accordance with an embodiment, a method of managing
licensing information associated with aggregate documents is
disclosed. In accordance with the method, a selection of an
aggregate document that includes at least one associated
sub-document is received. Each of the at least one sub-document is
associated with at least one copyright flag. A sub-document is
selected from the at least one sub-document. A copyright flag is
selected from the at least one copyright flag associated with the
selected sub-document. It is determined whether the selected
copyright flag is resolved. The selected sub-document is exported
to an export document capable of being transmitted to a computing
system associated with a user if it is determined that the selected
copyright flag is resolved.
[0014] In accordance with another embodiment, a system to manage
licensing information associated with an aggregate document is
disclosed. The system includes an aggregate document search engine,
sub-document selector, flag selector, license compliance engine,
and export document generator. The aggregate document search engine
is configured to receive a selection of an aggregate document that
includes at least one associated sub-document. Each of the at least
one sub-document is associated with at least one copyright flag.
The sub-document selector is configured to select a sub-document
from the at least one sub-document. The flag selector is configured
to select a copyright flag from the at least one copyright flag
associated with the selected sub-document. The license compliance
engine is configured to determine whether the selected copyright
flag is resolved. The export document generator is configured to
export the selected sub-document to an export document capable of
being transmitted to a computing system associated with a user if
it is determined that the selected copyright flag is resolved.
[0015] In accordance with further embodiment, a method of building
aggregate documents is provided. The method includes generating an
aggregate document. A sub-document is associated to the generated
aggregate document. At least one license term that applies to the
associated sub-document is then discovered. Thereafter, at least
one copyright flag for the at least one discovered license term is
generated in association with the sub-document.
[0016] In accordance with still another embodiment, a system to
build aggregate documents is provided. The system includes an
aggregate document generator, sub-document adder, sub-document
license discoverer, and sub-document license flag generator. The
aggregate document generator is configured to generate an aggregate
document. The sub-document adder is configured to associate a
sub-document to the generated aggregate document. The sub-document
license discoverer is configured to discover at least one license
term that applies to the associated sub-document. The sub-document
license flag generator is configured to generate at least one
copyright flag for the at least one discovered license term in
association with the sub-document.
[0017] In accordance with an embodiment, a method of assessing
license compliance of an aggregate document that includes at least
one associated sub-document is provided. The method includes
selecting a copyright flag associated with a sub-document of the at
least one sub-document. The copyright flag is associated with
licensing information for the sub-document. A determination is made
as to whether the copyright flag is resolved. The selected
sub-document is selectively exported to an export document for
transmission to a computing system based on determination that the
copyright flag is resolved.
[0018] In accordance with an embodiment, a system of assessing
license compliance of an aggregate document that includes at least
one associated sub-document is provided. The system includes a
license compliance engine. The license compliance engine is
configured to select a copyright flag associated with a
sub-document of the at least one sub-document. The copyright flag
is associated with licensing information for the sub-document. The
license compliance engine is also configured to determine whether
the copyright flag is resolved such that the sub-document can be
selectively exported to an export document for transmission to a
computing system based on determination that the copyright flag is
resolved.
[0019] These and other purposes, goals and advantages of the
present application will become apparent from the following
detailed description of example embodiments read in connection with
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not
limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an example document management system
that includes a document license system;
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface for
an generate aggregate document in the document license system of
FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates an example listing of copyright flags
that can be associated with sub-documents of the aggregate document
in the document license system of FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of
exporting an aggregate document in the document license system of
FIG. 1; and
[0025] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a general computer system that
can perform any computer based functions or methods disclosed
herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] A system and method of managing licenses for aggregate
documents are disclosed herein. In the following description, for
the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of example
embodiments. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the
art, that an example embodiment may be practiced without all of the
disclosed specific details.
[0027] As used herein a "copyright flag" or "flag" refers to a
representation of a right or term associated with the use or
license of a sub-document included in an aggregate document.
[0028] As used herein an "author" refers to a creator of the
sub-document, or a right holder of the copyright for the
sub-document, or a representative (agent) of the creator or right
holder.
[0029] As used herein the creator or right holder of the
sub-document is a person or entity.
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates an example document management system 100
that includes a document license system 122. The document
management system 100 includes a user administration/login system
108 and document license system 122 interconnected to a user
computing system(s) 104 via a network 102. The network 102 can be a
wide area network, local area network, or any combination of one or
more networks configured to interconnect the systems, databases and
other components of FIG. 1. One or more of the networks can be
wired or wireless.
[0031] The user computing system(s) 104 is configured to login into
the document management system 100 over the network 102 to generate
and/or access one or more aggregate documents. The user computing
system 104 is further configured to export an aggregate document
from the document license system 122 in a printable format for
printing, e.g., a printable format such as PDF. As an example, the
user computing system 104 can print the aggregate document via
printer 106. The printer 106 can be attached directly or via a
network (e.g., LAN) to the user computing system 104. The user
computing system 104 can be operated by a user (e.g., human
operator or an aggregator/publisher program) to access, generate
and/or export aggregate documents via the document license system
122 of the document management system 100.
[0032] The user administration/login system 108 is configured to
administer users in the document management system 100 and to
enable users to login into the document management system 100 over
the network 102 via user computing system(s) 104. The user
administration/login system 108 includes a user setup subsystem
110, user authentication (login) subsystem 112, and user login
database 114.
[0033] The user setup subsystem 110 is configured to setup
credentials for the user's access to the document management system
100, such as via a username and password combination. A user ID for
the username-password combination can be assigned to the user for
identification purposes within the document license system 122.
Other credential mechanisms for authentication of the user can be
used in addition or alternatively to the username and password
combination. A system administrator or the user can setup a user's
credentials for access to the document license system 122.
[0034] The authentication (login) subsystem 112 is configured to
login the user into the document management system 100, such as by
authenticating the user via username and password. The
username/password combinations and associated user IDs for users
that are authorized to use the document management system 100 can
be maintained in the user login database 114 as will be described
hereinbelow.
[0035] Upon user login, the user authentication subsystem 112 can
authenticate a user's username and password received from the user
computing system 104 against the username-password combinations in
the user login database 114. After the user is authenticated, the
user via user computing system 104 can access the document license
system 122 via the user's user ID associated with the user's
username/password combination. Additional or alternative
authentication methods and system components can be used to login
the user to the document management system 100.
[0036] The user login database 114 maintains the username/password
combinations 118, 120 associated with associated user IDs 116 for
users that have been authorized to the document management system
100 and given access to access the document license system 122.
Additional or alternative authentication information can be
maintained by the user login database 114 for login to the document
management system 100 and access the document license system
122.
[0037] The document license system 122 is configured to enable a
user (e.g., human operator or electronic aggregator/publisher
program) to generate an aggregate document having multiple
sub-documents and to manage copyright license information for the
aggregate document. The document license system 122 can expose or
provide multiple application program interfaces (APIs) that can be
invoked by the electronic aggregator/publisher programs via
computing system(s) 104 to access, generate and/or export aggregate
documents via the document license system 122. The document license
system 122 includes a builder subsystem 124, export subsystem 142,
and can include databases 168, 180, 190.
[0038] In various embodiments, the databases 168, 180, 190 can also
be distributed and maintained by one or more other systems. In
these cases, the computing system 104 (e.g., at or after login) can
provide locations or other information concerning the databases
168, 180, 190 to the document license system 122, such that the
document license system 122 can access, generate and export
aggregate documents as described herein. In other embodiments, the
locations or other information concerning the databases 168, 180,
190 can be known or be available for access to the document license
system 122.
[0039] The builder subsystem 124 of the document license system 122
is configured to enable a user to manage one or more aggregate
documents. The builder subsystem 124 includes an aggregate document
generator 126, aggregate document editor 128, sub-document search
engine 130, sub-document adder 132, sub-document remover 134,
sub-document editor 136, sub-document copyright license discoverer
138 and sub-document license flag generator 140.
[0040] The aggregate document generator 126 is configured to enable
a user to generate an aggregate document in the document license
system 122. More specifically, the aggregate document generator 126
can generate an aggregate document in the aggregate document
database 168. In one embodiment or aspect, a record 169 that is
associated with (representing) the aggregate document via a unique
document ID is generated in the aggregate document database 168 by
the aggregate document generator 126, as will be described in
greater detail below with reference to the aggregate document
database 168.
[0041] The aggregate document editor 128 is configured to enable
the user to edit an aggregate document in the aggregate document
database 168. For example, the aggregate document editor 128 can
edit the connection (order) of sub-documents 174 that are part of
the aggregate document's record 169. Additionally, the aggregate
document editor 128 can also enable the user to provide/edit a
title 178 and/or any other information that the user would like to
be stored in the aggregate document's record 169.
[0042] The sub-document search engine 130 is configured to enable a
user to conduct a search for sub-documents in the document
repository 190 and to retrieve one or more sub-documents 189 for
addition to the aggregate document in the aggregate document
database 168, e.g., the aggregate document's record 169. The
sub-document search engine 130 is configured to present one or more
graphical user interfaces (not shown) to receive user search
criteria and to display the retrieved sub-documents for user
selection. A user can search for documents by sub-document ID 192,
text in the sub-document, name of sub-document, or any other
mechanism to retrieve a desired sub-document maintained in the
document database 144. The sub-document's ID 192 can be added to
the aggregate document's record 169.
[0043] The sub-document adder 132 is configured to add or associate
at least one sub-document selected by the user to an aggregate
document in the aggregate document database 168, e.g., the
aggregate document's record 169. In one embodiment or aspect, the
user can select at least one sub-document 189 from the graphical
user interface presented by the sub-document search engine 130. In
another embodiment or aspect, the user can select at least one
sub-document 189 by its sub-document ID 192 via another graphical
user interface (not shown). Upon selection of the at least one
sub-document 189, its sub-document ID 192 is added to the aggregate
document's record 169 in the aggregate document database 168. More
specifically, the sub-document ID 192 is associated aggregate
document ID 170 in the aggregate document database 168.
[0044] The sub-document remover 134 is configured to remove at
least one sub-document selected by the user from an aggregate
document in the aggregate document database 168, e.g., the
aggregate document's record 169. In one embodiment or aspect, the
sub-document remover 134 can present a graphical user interface
(e.g., FIG. 2) with one or more sub-documents 189 of the document
repository 190 that are associated with the aggregate document,
e.g., aggregate document's record 169. The user can then select one
or more of the sub-documents to be removed from the aggregate
document. In another embodiment or aspect, the user can select at
least one sub-document 189 by its sub-document ID 192 via another
graphical user interface (not shown). Upon selection of the at
least one sub-document 189, its sub-document ID 192 is removed from
the aggregate document's record 169 in the aggregate document
database 168.
[0045] The sub-document editor 136 is configured to enable the user
to edit a sub-document document in the document repository 190. For
example, the sub-document editor 138 can edit sub-document 189. In
an embodiment, a copy of the sub-document having a new sub-document
ID 192 can be created and saved in the document repository 190.
Edits are then made to the new sub-document. In this case, the new
sub-document ID is added to the license database 180 and original
sub-document's flags 184, values 186 and/or certifications 188 are
updated to indicate a derivative version of the original
sub-document. The original sub-document's ID in the aggregate
document database 168 is updated to the new sub-document ID in the
sub-document listing 174.
[0046] The sub-document copyright license discoverer 138 is
configured to discover or determine license information associated
with a sub-document 189 that is added to the aggregate document,
e.g., aggregate document's record 169. For example, the
sub-document copyright license discoverer 138 can scan the
sub-document for copyright, license or use information associated
with the sub-document. For example, in the case of a web page as
the sub-document, the sub-document license discoverer 138 can
search the sub-document for the term "copyright" or terms such as
"All rights reserved" that indicate the copyright, license or use
of sub-document (e.g., the author's intent with regard to sharing
the sub-document). The sub-document license discoverer 138 can also
search for embedded HTML describing the location of a Creative
Commons license, which can be retrieved in order to determine the
specific terms of the copyright, license or use of the
sub-document. If no license or use information is discovered, a
default of "standard copyright" can be used. In alternative
embodiment or aspects, another default copyright can be used.
[0047] The sub-document license flag generator 140 is configured to
generate one or more license flags from the determined copyright,
license or use information associated with the sub-document added
to the aggregate document. For example, if the terms require
attribution of the original author, an "attribution" flag could be
set. In a case where the author requires specific text in the
attribution that text could also be associated with the attribution
flag. In another example, for an author requiring payment for
non-academic uses of a work, a flag "free academic" could be set
and a flag "non-academic payment" specifying a price could also be
set.
[0048] The export subsystem 142 of the document license system 122
is configured to enable a user to export an aggregate document in
accordance with license or use information associated with
constituent sub-documents of the aggregate document. The export
subsystem 142 includes an aggregate document search engine 144,
export document generator 146, sub-document adder 148 and license
compliance engine 150.
[0049] The aggregate document search engine 144 is configured to
enable a user to conduct a search for aggregate documents in the
aggregate document database 168 and to retrieve an aggregate
document (e.g., the aggregate document's record 169) for export to
the user computing system 104 and/or printing via associated
printer 106. The aggregate document search engine 144 can present
one or more graphical user interfaces (not shown) to receive user
search criteria and to display the retrieved aggregate documents
for user selection. The aggregate document search engine 144 can
further receive a selection of an aggregate document to export. A
user can search for aggregate documents by aggregate document ID
170, user ID 172, sub-document(s) associated with the aggregate
document 174, other aggregate documents 176 of which a particular
aggregate document 169 is a constituent document, text in the
aggregate document 169 (e.g., title 178), or any other mechanism to
retrieve a desired aggregate document maintained in the aggregate
document database 168.
[0050] The export document generator 146 is configured to enable a
user to generate an export document 196 from a selected aggregate
document (e.g., aggregate document 169) in accordance with
licensing/use information associated with constituent documents of
the aggregate document, (e.g., sub-document 189). The export
document 196 can be transmitted or distributed from the export
subsystem 142 of the document license system 122 to the computing
system 104 (export document 196 is shown in dotted lines as export
document 198 received by user computing system 104) for viewing
and/or printing via printer 106. The export document generator 146
invokes (executes) the license compliance engine 150 to determine
one or more of the constituent documents of the selected aggregate
document to be exported (added) to the export document 196.
[0051] The sub-document adder 148 is configured to add one or more
sub-documents (e.g., content)--that comply with the licensing/use
information determined by the license compliance engine 150--to the
export document 196 generated by the export document generator
146.
[0052] The license compliance engine 150 of the export subsystem
142 is configured to determine whether the sub-documents of an
aggregate document selected for export comply with associated
licensing/use information, and further configured to resolve
potential non-compliance of the sub-documents such that the
sub-documents can be exported (added) to the export document 196.
Resolution of potential non-compliance can include the addition of
information required for the export of the sub-document to the
export document (e.g., addition of attribution, license or
watermark information to the export document). Resolution can also
involve sending a notification of use of the sub-document to a
certain electronic address for the author or owner of the
sub-document. Further, resolution of potential non-compliance can
include collection of additional information, payment or
certification from the user. Moreover, resolution can involve
obtaining the permission of the author associated with the
sub-document to be exported. Additional or alternative compliance
resolution as envisioned can be applied in the document license
system 122.
[0053] The license compliance engine 150 includes an iterator 151,
a non-standard copyright compliance module 155 and a standard
copyright compliance module 163.
[0054] The iterator 151 is configured to iterate over sub-documents
174 associated with a selected aggregate document 170 (e.g.,
aggregate document 169) to be processed for license compliance from
the aggregate document database 168. The iterator 151 is further
configured to iterate over one or more flags 184 associated with
each of the sub-documents 174 (e.g., associated with sub-document
169) in the license database 180. The iterator 151 includes a
sub-document selector 152 and flag selector 154.
[0055] The sub-document selector 152 is configured to iteratively
select a sub-document (e.g., from one or more sub-documents 174)
associated with the aggregate document (e.g., aggregate document
169) to be processed for license compliance from the aggregate
document database 168.
[0056] The flag selector 154 is configured for each of the
sub-documents 174 associated with the aggregate document 169
selected by the sub-document selector 152 to iteratively access or
select a flag (e.g., from one or more flags 184), as well as
related flag values 186 and/or certificates 188 that are associated
with the selected sub-document (e.g., sub-document 179) from the
license database 180. The flag selector 154 can determine whether
the accessed or selected flag should be processed by the
non-standard copyright compliance module 155 or the standard
copyright compliance module 163. It is noted that if any one of the
flags is not satisfied, the selected sub-document (as well as any
additional information that is associated with any matched flags)
will not added to the export document by the license compliance
engine 150 and the iteration of the flags for the selected
sub-document 174 is terminated.
[0057] The non-standard copyright compliance module 155 is
configured to determine whether a selected flag (e.g., flag 184)
represents a non-standard copyright use associated with the
selected sub-document 182 (e.g., sub-document 169) in the license
database 180 and to perform one or more operations to resolve the
selected flag. In certain instances as described below resolution
is possible while in other instances the flag will not be resolved.
The non-standard copyright compliance module 155 includes an
automatic flag resolver 156, additional information receiver 158,
payment receiver 160 and requirement certificator 162.
[0058] The automatic flag resolver 156 is configured to determine
whether automatic resolution of the selected flag 184 is possible,
and further configured to perform an action(s) that fulfill the
selected flag if automatic resolution is possible. For example, the
selected flag can indicate that information, such as attribution,
license, watermark, or other information, is to be added to the
export document 196.
[0059] The automatic flag resolver 156 can determine whether the
indicated information is available in flag value 186 related to the
selected flag 184. If so, the license compliance engine 150 can add
this information to the export document 196 to automatically
resolve the selected flag 184, once the other flags associated with
the selected sub-document 174 have been successfully processed.
[0060] In alternate embodiments, the automatic flag resolver 156
can send notification of use to a specified electronic address,
e.g., for the author or owner of the sub-document 174. Similarly,
this notification can be sent once the other flags associated with
the selected sub-document 174 have been successfully processed.
[0061] The additional information receiver 158 is configured to
determine whether additional information from the user is required
for the selected flag 184, prompt for (e.g., via user computing
device 104) and determine whether such additional information has
been in fact received from the user. For example, the selected flag
184 can require a version of the work or whether the work is
derivative work. The automatic flag resolver 156 can prompt the
user via user computing device 104 for the required additional
information (e.g., version).
[0062] If the user provides the additional information (e.g.,
version), the license compliance engine 150 can in some embodiments
add this information to the export document 196 or in other
embodiments can store this information as value 186 in association
with flag 182 for the selected sub-document 174, once the other
flags associated with the selected sub-document have been
successfully processed. In some embodiments, the additional
information receiver 158 can initially perform a check of value 186
that is associated with the flag 184 for a previously stored
version and prompt the user to confirm this version.
[0063] The payment receiver 160 is configured to determine whether
payment is required to export/use the sub-document 174, to prompt
the user for payment (e.g., dollar amount in accordance with value
186) associated with the selected flag 184, and further to
determine whether such required payment has been in fact received
from the user, such as via user computing system 104. For example,
the selected flag 184 can require payment of a certain dollar
amount in value 186 for exporting the sub-document 174. Such
payment can be for the sub-document or for each page of the
sub-document if there are multiple pages in the sub-document
174.
[0064] The requirement certificator 162 is configured to determine
whether a requirement certification is required to export/use the
sub-document 174, to prompt the user for the requirement
certification (e.g., in a cases where the author has given
non-electronic written permission to use a document, the user could
certify that permission has been granted) associated with the
selected flag 184, and further to determine whether requirement
certification has been in fact received from the user, such as via
user computing system 104. For example, the selected flag 184 can
indicate a requirement certification, such as permission from the
author or non-academic use, to facilitate exporting of the
sub-document 174 to the export document 196. The requirement
certificator 162 can determine whether a requirement certification
is required to export/use the sub-document 174, prompt the user for
the requirement certification (e.g., the document will only be used
for academic purposes) associated with the selected flag 184, and
further determine whether requirement certification has been in
fact received from the user, such as via user computing system 104.
For example, the selected flag 184 can indicate a requirement
certification, such as the document will only be used for academic
purposes, to facilitate exporting of the sub-document 174 to the
export document 196. The requirement certification can be stored in
the certifications 188 associated with the flag 184 in the license
database 180.
[0065] The standard copyright compliance module 163 is configured
to determine whether a selected flag (e.g., flag 184) represents
standard copyright use associated with the selected sub-document
182 (e.g., sub-document 169) in the license database 180 and to
perform one or more operation to resolve the selected flag. In
certain instances as described below resolution is possible while
in other instances the flag will not be resolved. The standard
copyright compliance module 163 includes a permission locator 164
and user certificator 166.
[0066] The author permission locator 164 is configured to determine
whether author (or owner) permission that is required to export/use
the sub-document 174 is recorded for the sub-document 174. In
embodiments in which author permission is recorded, such as in
value 186 for the flag 184 in the license database 180, the author
permission locator 164 is configured to provide an indication that
the selected sub-document complies with the required license to be
added to the aggregate document 196.
[0067] In embodiments in which author permission is not recorded in
the license database 180 (e.g., such as in value 186 for flag 184),
the author permission locator 164 is further configured to request
author (or owner) permission (e.g., via electronic mail from author
computing system 194), and to determine whether the requested
permission has been received from the author. Such request for
author permission can be automatic if the electronic address is
recorded or available. In some embodiments, the electronic address
for the automatic request can be stored in the license database 180
(e.g., in value 186 for the flag 184). In other embodiments, the
author permission locator 164 is configured to request the
electronic address for the author (or owner) from the user using
one or more graphical user interfaces presented via the user
computing system 104, and further configured to determine whether
such electronic address has in fact been received from the
user.
[0068] The user certificator 166 is configured to determine whether
user certification of author permission is required to export/use
the sub-document 174, to prompt the user for the user certification
(e.g., request that a scanned copy of the author's written
permission be provided or that the user provide an affidavit of
having received such permission) associated with the selected flag
184, and further to determine whether user certification has been
in fact received from the user, such as via user computing system
104. For example, the selected flag 184 can require user
certification of author permission through a graphical user
interface via user computing device 104 to facilitate exporting of
the sub-document 174 to the export document 196. The user
certificator 166 is further configured to determine whether user
certification is received.
[0069] After the iterator 151 iterates through the flags 184 (and
associated values 186) for the selected sub-document 174 that is
determined to be in copyright compliance via the non-standard
copyright module 155 or the standard copyright module 163, the
license compliance engine 142 can then instruct the sub-document
adder 148 to add the selected sub-document 174 to the export
document 196.
[0070] The aggregate document database 168 is configured to
maintain one or more aggregate documents (e.g., records
representing the aggregate documents), such as an example aggregate
document 169. The aggregate documents can be identified by document
IDs 170. The aggregate document database 168 further maintains
associations 171 (e.g., associations 172-178) related to aggregate
documents (document IDs 170) such as the example aggregate document
169. The associations 171 for the example aggregate document 169
can be maintained in one or more tables of the aggregate document
database 168 and can include user ID 172 (or the owner) associated
with the aggregate document 169 as provided by the user
administration login system 108, a listing of one or more
sub-documents 174 associated with the example aggregate document
169, a listing of one or more other aggregate documents 176 of
which the example aggregate document 169 is considered to be a
sub-document, and a title 178 associated with the example aggregate
document 169.
[0071] The license database 180 is configured to maintain one or
more sub-documents (e.g., records representing the sub-documents)
that are constituents of the aggregate documents in the aggregate
document database 168, such as an example sub-document 179 that can
be a constituent of the aggregate document 169, as listed in the
sub-document listing 174 for the aggregate document 169. The
sub-document database 180 further maintains associations 181 (e.g.,
associations 182-188) related to sub-documents (sub-document IDs
182), such as the example sub-document 179. For example, the
associations 181 for the example sub-document 179 can be maintained
in one or more tables of the sub-document database 180 and can
include a listing of one or more flags (e.g., flag IDs) 184
associated with the example copyright license/use term for the
sub-document 179, one or more values each associated with one of
the flags, and at least one requirement certification 188
associated with one of the flags.
[0072] The document repository 190 is configured to maintain
sub-documents represented or identified by their sub-document IDs
192. The document repository can maintain actual sub-document
content files, e.g., sub-document content file 189 that is
identified by sub-document IDS 192.
[0073] The author computing system 194 is associated with an author
(or owner) of at least one sub-document maintained in the document
repository 190, such as sub-document 189. The author computing
system 194 is configured to receive one or more requests (e.g., via
electronic email) from the document license system 122 for the
author's permission for export/use of the author's sub-document.
The author computing system 194 is further configured to respond to
such requests via one or more responses (e.g., via electronic
email), automatically or to enable the author (or owner) to respond
manually. The responses can be transmitted by the author computing
system 194 to the document license system 122. In one embodiment,
an email client device (not shown) can be associated with (or
incorporated in) the author computing system 194 and configured to
receive and transmit electronic mail concerning author permission
for export/use of the author's one or more sub-documents.
[0074] In view of the foregoing, the document license system 122
enables the user via user computing system 104 to generate an
aggregate document having multiple sub-documents and to export that
or another aggregate document to an export document 196 in
accordance with copyright license/use information associated with
the sub-documents of the aggregate document. The export document
196 can be transmitted from the document license system 122 to the
user computing system 104, as indicated by export document 198, for
viewing and printing, such as via printer 106. In one embodiment,
transmission can be accomplished via email. Alternate transmission
mechanisms can be used, such as direct download to the user
computing system 104 via file transfer protocol (FTP) or storage in
a centralized file repository (not shown) that the user can access
(e.g., via FTP) and communicated to the user via an email. The
document can be in one of many formats, such as PDF, TIFF, JPG or
another format.
[0075] FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface 200
for generating and exporting an aggregate document via the document
license system 122 of FIG. 1. The example graphical user interface
200 includes an aggregate document toolbar 202, sub-document
toolbar 212 and interface region 230.
[0076] The aggregate document toolbar 202 includes an aggregate
document generation tool 204, aggregate document editing tool 206,
aggregate document search tool 208 and aggregate document export
tool 210, which are described in greater detail below. The tools
204-210 can be invoked by the user via the user computing system
104, e.g., clicking on a tool via a mouse or selecting/activating
the tool via a keyboard.
[0077] The aggregate document generation tool 204 is configured to
generate an aggregate document 222 that can be displayed and
configured in the interface region 230. The aggregate document
generation tool 204 can invoke or execute the aggregate document
generator 126 of the builder system 124 in the document license
system 122 to generate a new aggregate document 222, e.g.,
aggregate document 169 in the aggregate document database 168 as
illustrated in FIG. 1. In generating the new aggregate document
222, the aggregate document generator 126 creates a record for the
aggregate document 222--identified by doc ID 170 and associated
with associations 171 (e.g., associations 172-178)--in the
aggregate document database 168.
[0078] The aggregate document editor tool 206 is configured to
enable editing of the aggregate document, such as the
addition/deletion of sub-documents 224, 226, 228 and their
relationships, creating/editing a title 223 for the aggregate
document 222, as well as editing of textual or graphical
information in the document aggregate document 222. The aggregate
document editor tool 206 can invoke or execute the aggregate
document editor 128 of the builder system 124 in the document
license system 122. It is noted that the sub-documents 224-228 are
maintained in the document repository 190. Addition or deletion of
sub-documents can involve adding/deleting references to the
sub-documents of the document repository (e.g., uniform resource
locator for web page(s), file names/paths for files or other
identification for the sub-documents 224-228). In one embodiment,
simple relationships between constituent sub-documents can be
indicated by their ordering in the sub-document listing 174 of the
aggregate document database 168. In addition, other more
sophisticated relationships can be provided, such as how the
sub-documents are to be displayed or integrated in relation to each
other within the aggregate document 222. Such relationships can be
maintained as metadata (not shown) in the aggregate document
database 168. The title of the aggregate document 223 can be
provided by the user and further can be stored as title 178 in the
aggregate document database 168.
[0079] The aggregate document search tool 208 is configured to
conduct a search for aggregate documents and to retrieve an
aggregate document (e.g., aggregate document 222) for editing and
or exporting in the interface 230. The aggregate document search
tool 208 can invoke or execute the aggregate document search engine
144 of the export subsystem 142 in the document license system 122.
For example, a user can conduct a search for aggregate documents in
the aggregate document database 168 and to retrieve an aggregate
document 222 for export to the user computing system 104 and/or
printing via associated printer 106. One or more graphical user
interfaces can be presented to receive user search criteria (e.g.,
doc ID 170, user ID 172, sub-doc ID 174, aggregate doc ID 176,
title 178 and/or other criteria) and to display the retrieved
aggregate documents for user selection. Upon user selection of an
aggregate document (e.g., aggregate document 222) from the
retrieved aggregate documents, the selected aggregate document is
loaded into the interface region 230 in accordance with
associations 171 as well as any available relationship metadata for
the constituent sub-documents (e.g., sub-documents 224-228).
[0080] The aggregate document export tool 210 is configured to
export the aggregate document 222 to an export document that can be
transmitted to the user computing system 104 in accordance with
licensing/use information associated with constituent sub-documents
224-228 of the aggregate document 222. The aggregate document
export tool 210 can invoke or execute the export document generator
146 of the export subsystem 142 in the document license system 122
of FIG. 1. For example, an export document 196 of FIG. 1 can be
generated from the aggregate document 222 of FIG. 2 and can be
transmitted or distributed to the computing system 104. The export
document 196 can be transmitted to the user computing system
104--shown export document 198--for viewing and/or printing via
printer 106.
[0081] The sub-document toolbar 212 includes a sub-document search
tool 214, sub-document addition tool 216, sub-document removal tool
218 and sub-document editing tool 220. The various tools 214-220
can be invoked by the user via the user computing system 104, e.g.,
clicking on a tool via a mouse or selecting/activating the tool via
a keyboard.
[0082] The sub-document search tool 214 is configured to conduct a
search for sub-documents and to retrieve one or more sub-documents
224-228 for addition to the aggregate document 222 in the in the
interface 230. The sub-document search tool 214 can invoke or
execute the sub-document search engine 130 of the builder subsystem
124 in the document license system 122. For example, a user can
conduct a search for sub-documents in the document repository 190
and to retrieve one or more sub-documents 189 for addition to the
aggregate document in the aggregate document database 168, e.g.,
the aggregate document's record 222. One or more graphical user
interfaces can be presented to receive user search criteria and to
display the retrieved sub-documents for user selection. A user can
search for sub-documents by sub-document ID 192, text in the
sub-document, name of sub-document, or any other mechanism to
retrieve one or more desired sub-documents maintained in the
document database 144.
[0083] The sub-document addition tool 216 is configured to add at
least one sub-document selected by the user to the example
aggregate document 222 in the aggregate document database 168. More
specifically, the sub-document's ID 192 can be added to the
aggregate document's record (e.g., added to sub-document ID 174) in
the aggregate document database 168. The user can thereafter
configure via interface 230 the relationship of the added
sub-document to the sub-documents that already part of the example
aggregate document 222.
[0084] The sub-document addition tool 216 can invoke or execute the
sub-document search added 132, and can further invoke or execute
the sub-document license disocoverer 138 and sub-document license
flag generator 140 of the builder subsystem 124 in the document
license system 122. Upon selection of one or more the sub-documents
224-228 to be added to the aggregate document 222, a search of the
license database 180 can be performed to determine whether records
associated with the one or more of the documents 224-228 exist. If
not, the sub-document license discoverer 138 can be invoked or
executed to discover license information associated with
sub-documents 224-228, such as by scanning the documents 192 of the
document repository 190. If no license or use information is
discovered, a default of "standard copyright" can be used. The
sub-document license flag generator 140 can be invoked or executed
to then generate one or more license terms (flags) and any
associated values of the flags from the copyright, license or use
information associated with the sub-documents. This associated
license information is stored in connection with the sub-documents
in the license database 180.
[0085] The sub-document removal tool 218 is configured to remove at
least one selected sub-document from an aggregate document 222. The
sub-document removal tool 214 can invoke or execute the
sub-document remover 134 of the builder subsystem 124 in the
document license system 122. For example, a user can remove at
least one sub-document 224, 226 or 228 from an aggregate document
222. Removal of a sub-document entails removal of the
sub-document's ID 182 from the listing of the sub-documents 174 in
the aggregate document database 168.
[0086] The sub-document editing tool 220 is configured to edit a
sub-document document in the document repository 190. The
sub-document editing tool 220 can invoke or execute the
sub-document editor 136 of the builder subsystem 124 in the
document license system 122. A user can edit a sub-document
document in the document repository 190. For example, the
sub-document editor 138 can edit sub-document 189. In one
embodiment, the sub-document editor 138 can determine whether the
sub-document can be edited by determining whether there is a flag
in the license database 180 for the sub-document that allows
derivative works to be created. If so, upon editing, the
sub-document editor 136 can copy the sub-document to be edited into
a new sub-document having a sub-document ID 192 in the document
repository 190. Edits can then be made to the newly created
sub-document. The new sub-document ID is added to the license
database 180 and the original sub-document's flags 184, values 186
and/or certifications 188 are updated to indicate creation of a
derivative version of the original sub-document. The original
sub-document's ID in the aggregate document database 168 is updated
to reflect the new sub-document ID in the sub-document listing
174.
[0087] FIG. 3 illustrates an example listing 300 of copyright flags
302 that can be associated with sub-documents of the aggregate
document in the document license system of FIG. 1. Copyright flags
can be text-based as shown in the example listing 300 or can be
indicated by other representations associated with these flags,
e.g., numbers letters, or other programmatic representations. With
reference to the listing 300, an example "standard copyright" flag
can be generated, which would require author permission to use the
sub-document as part of the aggregate document. In this case, a
value 186 that is associated with the flag may be set to one (1) to
indicate that standard copyright applies. In other cases, the
standard copyright flag can be set to zero (0), indicating that
standard copyright does not apply. An "attribution" flag can be
used to allow a derivative work if an exact license is applied as
with respect to the original. In such a case, the value for the
attribution flag can include the text of the attribution. Other
flags may have no values, such as the "share alike",
"non-commercial", "no derivatives", "free academic" and other such
flags. A "payment terms" flag can be associated with a value of the
payment for use of the sub-document. The terms can indicate a price
and whether the price is per document or per page of the document
(if there are multiple pages). Other copyright flags can be used in
addition to or instead of the flags shown in FIG. 3.
[0088] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 of
exporting an aggregate document in the document license system of
FIG. 1. The example method 200 starts at operation 402. At
operation 406, a selection of an aggregate document to export is
received. For example, the user can select the aggregate document
export tool 210 to export example document 222, as illustrated in
FIG. 2. An export document is generated by the export subsystem
142, such as export document 196 in FIG. 1. At operation 408, a
determination is made as to whether the selected aggregate document
222 includes sub-documents. For example, the sub-document selector
152 can determine that the aggregate document 222 include
sub-documents 224-228 by accessing the sub-documents listing 174
associated with the example aggregate document 222 in the aggregate
document database 168.
[0089] If it is determined that are sub-documents, the method
continues at operation 410 where a first sub-document is selected.
For example, the selection can be performed by the sub-document
selector 152 of the iterator 151 in the export subsystem 142 of
FIG. 1. Alternatively, the selected aggregate document is the only
one that is selected. In this case, the aggregate document does not
contain any sub-documents. Thereafter, the method 400 continues at
operation 412.
[0090] At operation 412, a copyright flag is selected for the
(selected sub-document or aggregate document). Flag selection can
be performed by the flag selector 154 of the iterator 151 in the
export subsystem 142 of FIG. 1. A flag 184 can be selected for the
aggregate document 182 from the license database 180.
[0091] At operation 414, a determination is made as to whether the
flag indicates that "standard copyright" or "non-standard
copyright" applies to the selected sub-document. For example, the
flag selector 154 can determine whether the flag should be
processed by the non-standard copyright compliance module 155 or
the standard copyright compliance module 163. If it is determined
that standard copyright does not apply, the method 400 continues at
operation 416. Alternatively, if standard copyright does apply, the
method continues at operation 440.
[0092] At operation 416, a determination is made as to whether the
selected flag can be resolved automatically for the selected
sub-document. If so, the method 400 continues at operation 418 to
perform flag fulfillment, such as adding attribution, license or
watermark information to the aggregate document and/or sending
notification of document use to the author. If it is determined
that the flag is fulfilled at 420, the method 400 continues at
operation 458 to add the sub-document to the aggregate document,
e.g., export document 196.
[0093] If it is determined that the flag is not fulfilled at 420,
the selected sub-document is not added to the export document 196
in relation to the selected flag. Thereafter, the method continues
at operation 460 to process additional flags, if any. Operations
416-420 can be performed by the automatic flag resolver 156 of the
non-standard copyright compliance module 155 in the export
subsystem 142 illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0094] At operation 422, a determination is made as to whether more
information is required from the user for the selected
sub-document. If so, the method 400 continues at operation 424 to
prompt the user for the required information. If it is determined
that the required information was received at operation 426, the
method 400 continues at operation 458 to add the sub-document to
the aggregate document, e.g., aggregate document 196. If it is
determined that the required information was not received at
operation 426, the method 400 continues at operation 460 to process
additional flags, if any. Operations 422-426 can be performed by
the additional information receiver 158 of the non-standard
copyright compliance module 155 in the export subsystem 142
illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0095] At operation 428, a determination is made as to whether
payment is required from the user for the selected sub-document. If
so, the method 400 continues at operation 430 to prompt the user
for the payment. If it is determined that the required payment was
received at operation 432, the method 400 continues at operation
458 to add the sub-document to the aggregate document, e.g.,
aggregate document 196. If it is determined that the required
payment was not received at operation 432, the method 400 continues
at operation 460 to process additional flags, if any. Operations
428-432 can be performed by the payment receiver 160 of the
non-standard copyright compliance module 155 in the export
subsystem 142 illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0096] At operation 434, a determination is made as to whether
requirement certification is required from the user for the
selected sub-document. If so, the method 400 continues at 436 to
prompt the user for the requirement certification. If it is
determined that the requirement certification was received at
operation 438, the method 400 continues at operation 458 to add the
sub-document to the aggregate document, e.g., aggregate document
196. If it is determined that the requirement certification was not
received at operation 438, the method 400 continues at operation
460 to process additional flags, if any. Operations 434-438 can be
performed by the requirement certificatory 162 of the non-standard
copyright compliance module 155 in the export subsystem 142
illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0097] Now with reference to the determination at operation 414, if
it is determined that standard copyright does apply, the method 400
continues at operation 440 where a determination is made as to
whether author permission for the selected sub-document is
recorded. If it is determined that the author permission is
recorded at operation 440, the method 400 continues at operation
458 to add the sub-document to the aggregate document, e.g.,
aggregate document 196. It can be considered that the standard
copyright flag, which is associated with recorded author
permission, is automatically resolved. If it is determined that the
author permission is not recorded at operation 440, the method 400
continues at operation 442, where a determination is made as to
whether contact information for the author is recorded or is to be
requested from the user.
[0098] At operation 444, the contact information for the author is
requested from the user. If it is determined that the contact
information was received at operation 446, the method 400 continues
at operation 448 as will be described below. If it is determined
that the contact information was not received at operation 446, the
method 400 continues operation 460 to process additional flags, if
any. At operation 448, author permission is requested using contact
information that was recorded or received. If it is determined that
the contact information was received at 450, the method 400
continues operation 458 to add the sub-document to the aggregate
document, e.g., aggregate document 196. If it is determined that
the contact information was not received at operation 450, the
method 400 continues operation 460 to process additional flags, if
any. It can be considered that the standard copyright flag, which
is associated with recorded author contact information, is
automatically resolved. Operations 440-450 can be performed by the
permission locator 164 of the standard copyright compliance module
163 in the export subsystem 142 illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0099] At operation 454, a determination is made as to whether user
certification--indicating that user has author's permission--is
required for the selected sub-document. If so, the method 400
continues at 454 to prompt the user for the user certification. If
it is determined that the user certification was received at
operation 456, the method 400 continues at operation 458 to add the
sub-document to the aggregate document, e.g., aggregate document
196. If it is determined that the user certification was not
received at operation 456, the method 400 continues at operation
460 to process additional flags, if any. Operations 452-456 can be
performed by the user certificatory 162 of the standard copyright
compliance module 163 in the export subsystem 142 illustrated in
FIG. 1.
[0100] At operation 458, the selected sub-document is added to the
export document 196. If the selected sub-document was previously
added to (or removed from) the export document 196 in relation to
another selected flag, the same sub-document is not added to the
export document 196 again.
[0101] At operation 460, if the selected sub-document was added
previously to the export document 196 in relation to another
selected flag, the selected sub-document is removed from the export
document 196. Furthermore, a determination is made as to whether
there are additional flags for the selected subdocument. If so, the
method 400 continues at operation 412 and operations 412-460 are
performed for the next flag. The flag iterator 154 can perform
operation 460. If there are no additional flags for the selected
document, the method 400 continues at operation 462.
[0102] The removal (or non-inclusion) of the selected sub-document
with respect to the export document 196 in connection with the
non-fulfillment of the selected copyright flag does not remove the
selected sub-document from the aggregate document in the aggregate
document database 168. In some embodiments, an indication that a
conflict exists with respect to the selected flag can be added for
the selected sub-document in the license database 180. Conflicts
can sometimes be fixed at a later time, allowing the selected
sub-document to be included in a future export document 196.
[0103] In some embodiments, a place holder for the removed (or
non-included) selected sub-document can be generated in or added to
the export document 196, indicating the removed (or non-included)
selected sub-document and possibly even why it was removed. For
example, when generating an export document 196 that is intended to
be reviewed before final publication, the user might specify a
banner page for each removed selected sub-document, including the
title, author, original source (e.g., URL), as well as the
reason(s) requiring its removal.
[0104] At operation 462, a determination is made as to whether
there are additional sub-documents to be processed for the selected
aggregate document, e.g., example aggregate document 222. If so,
the method 400 continues at operation 410 and operations 410-462
are performed for the next selected sub-document. The sub-document
selector 152 of the iterator 154 can perform operation 462.
[0105] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a general computer system 500.
The computer system 500 may include a set of instructions that may
be executed to cause the computer system 500 to perform any one or
more of the computer based functions or methods disclosed herein.
The computer system 500, or any portion thereof, may operate as a
standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to
other computer systems, databases and peripheral devices. The
computer system 500 can, for example, be the user computing system
104, the user administration login system 108 and/or the document
license system 122.
[0106] In a networked deployment, the computer system 500 may
operate in the capacity of a document management system (or portion
thereof) as illustrated in FIG. 1, for example. The computer system
500 may also be implemented as or incorporated into various
devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal
digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a
laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a
control system, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a printer, a
personal trusted device, a web appliance, or any other machine
capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or
otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine.
Further, while a single computer system 500 is shown, the term
"system" shall also be taken to include any collection of systems
or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or
multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer
functions as described herein.
[0107] As shown in FIG. 5, the computer system 500 may include a
processor 502, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a
graphics-processing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer
system 500 may include a main memory 504 and a static memory 506
that may communicate with each other via a bus 526. As shown, the
computer system 500 may further include a video display unit 5910,
such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting
diode (OLED), a projection unit, a television, a flat panel
display, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT).
Additionally, the computer system 500 may include an input device
512, such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device 514, such as a
mouse. The computer system 500 may also include a disk drive unit
516, a signal generation device 522, such as a speaker or remote
control, and a network interface device 508.
[0108] In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 5, the disk
drive unit 516 may include a computer-readable medium 518 in which
one or more sets of instructions 520, e.g., software, may be
embedded. Further, the instructions 520 may embody one or more of
the methods or logic as described herein. In a particular
embodiment, the instructions 520 may reside completely, or at least
partially, within the main memory 504, the static memory 506,
and/or within the processor 502 during execution by the computer
system 500. The main memory 504 and the processor 502 also may
include computer-readable media.
[0109] In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware
implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits,
programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, may be
constructed to implement one or more of the methods described
herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of
various embodiments may broadly include a variety of electronic and
computer systems. One or more embodiments described herein may
implement functions using two or more specific interconnected
hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals
that may be communicated between and through the modules, or as
portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.
Accordingly, the present system encompasses software, firmware, and
hardware implementations.
[0110] In accordance with various embodiments, the methods
described herein may be implemented by software programs tangibly
embodied in a processor-readable medium and may be executed by a
processor. Further, in an exemplary, non-limited embodiment,
implementations may include distributed processing,
component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.
Alternatively, virtual computer system processing may be
constructed to implement one or more of the methods or
functionality as described herein.
[0111] The present application contemplates a computer-readable
medium that includes instructions 520 or receives and executes
instructions 520 responsive to a propagated signal, so that a
device connected to a network 524 may communicate voice, video or
data over the network 524. Further, the instructions 520 may be
transmitted or received over the network 524 via the network
interface device 508.
[0112] While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single
medium, the term "computer-readable medium" includes a single
medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed
database, and/or associated caches and servers that store one or
more sets of instructions. The term "computer-readable medium"
shall also include any medium that is capable of storing or
encoding a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that
cause a computer system to perform any one or more of the methods
or operations disclosed herein.
[0113] In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the
computer-readable medium may include a solid-state memory such as a
memory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatile
read-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium may be a
random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory.
Additionally, the computer-readable medium may include a
magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or other
storage device to capture signals such as those communicated over a
transmission medium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or
other self-contained information archive or set of archives may be
considered a medium that is equivalent to a tangible storage
medium. Accordingly, the application is considered to include any
one or more of a computer-readable medium and other equivalents and
successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.
[0114] Although the present application describes components and
functions that may be implemented in particular embodiments with
reference to particular standards and protocols, the application is
not limited to such standards and protocols. Such standards and
protocols are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient
equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly,
replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar
functions as those disclosed herein are considered equivalents
thereof.
[0115] Thus, a system and method of managing licenses for aggregate
documents have been described. Although specific example
embodiments have been described, it will be evident that various
modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without
departing from the broader scope of the invention. Accordingly, the
specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative
rather than a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that
form a part hereof, show by way of illustration, and not of
limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be
practiced. The embodiments shown are described in sufficient detail
to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings
disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived
therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and
changes may be made without departing from the scope of this
application. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be
taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is
defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of
equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
[0116] Although specific embodiments have been shown and described
herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to
achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific
embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any and
all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations
of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically
described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art
upon reviewing the above description.
[0117] The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.
.sctn.1.72(b) and will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the
nature of the technical disclosure of this application. It is
submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to
interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
[0118] In the foregoing description of the embodiments, various
features may be grouped together in a single embodiment for the
purpose of streamlining the disclosure of this application. This
method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting that
the claimed embodiments have more features than are expressly
recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect,
inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single
disclosed embodiment.
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