The present invention relates to systems and methods for personal information management, in particular, transferring Web-based information to a personal information management system over a communication network, in particular, the Internet.
Personal information managers (“PIMs”) and are well known in the prior art. PIMs are software applications that are designed to help users organize information such as, for example, calendars or schedules, dates, lists, reminders and contacts and may be implemented on a personal computer or on a personal digital assistant (“PDA”). In addition, PIM's may be implemented as Web sites on the World Wide Web.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of transferring Web-based information over a network to a personal information management system having calendar and contact data for a set of users includes selecting a set of Web-based information and creating a transfer request that includes at least the set of Web-based information and an address for a server associated with the personal information management system and in communication with the network. The transfer request is sent to the server where the server has access to the calendar and contact data for the set of users. The set of Web-based information is then stored at the server and associated with at least one user in the set of users. The transfer request may be a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request and the network may be the Internet. The Web-based information may be stored in a database in communication with the server.
In one embodiment, the set of Web-based information is contact information and is stored with the contact data for the at least one user. In another embodiment, the Web-based information is an event and is stored with the calendar data for the at least one user. The Web-based information may be located on the network using a Web browser. In a preferred embodiment, the transfer request is created using a toolbar inserted into the Web browser.
The method may further include sending a response from the server to the Web browser to indicate that the set of Web-based information has been transferred to the personal information management system. The Web-based information may be selected by highlighting information displayed by the Web browser. In a further embodiment, the toolbar includes a link to create the transfer request to transfer the set of Web-based information.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system for transferring Web-based information over a network to a personal information management system having calendar and contact data for a set of users includes a toolbar inserted into a Web browser. The Web browser is used to search for and display Web-based information. A user may locate and select a set of Web-based information from the information displayed by the Web browser. The system further includes a link, included in the toolbar, to create a transfer request that includes at least the set of Web-based information selected by the user. The transfer request directs the set of Web-based information to the personal information management system when the link is selected by the user. The transfer request is received by at least one server coupled to the network. The server stores the Web-based information that is associated with the user.
In one embodiment, the transfer request is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request. The Web-based information may be stored in a database in communication with the server. In a further embodiment, the set of Web-based information is contact information and is stored with the contact data for the user. In another embodiment, the set of Web-based information is an event and is stored with the calendar data for the user.
Further embodiments of the invention are implemented as a computer program product having a computer useable medium with computer readable program code thereon. The computer readable program code may be read and utilized by the computer system in accordance with conventional processes.
The foregoing features of the invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Definitions.
As used in this description and the accompanying claims, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless the context otherwise requires:
“Web-based information” means information available on the World Wide Web.
A PIM or personal information management system typically includes, among other things, a calendar and contact (or address) list for each user of the system. The calendar may include events such as appointments, concerts, birthdays, meetings, etc. and the contact list may include data such as names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. PIM's may be implemented as Web sites on the World Wide Web. For more information regarding a Web-based PIM, see co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/498,516, filed Feb. 2, 2000, and co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/693,543, filed Oct. 20, 2000, which applications are herein incorporated by reference. Generally, a user may directly add information, such as an event or contact, to their calendar or contact list by accessing the PIM on the World Wide Web. However, when a user locates information they wish to include in their PIM elsewhere on the World Wide Web, the user is required to access their PIM, and thereby leave the location (or Web page) on the World Wide Web they are currently at, in order to add the information.
Once the set of Web-based information has been selected, a transfer request is created that includes the set of Web-based information at block 104. For example, an HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) request may be created that includes set of Web-based information to be transferred to the personal information management system. In order to create the transfer request, the set of Web-based information is parsed using parsing methods known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, a toolbar is inserted (or plugged-in) into the Web browser and includes a link to create the transfer request including the set of Web-based information when the link is selected by the user.
The transfer request, including the set of Web-based information, is then sent to a server that has access to the user's calendar and contact data associated with the PIM at block 106. The calendar and contact data may be stored in a database in communication with the server. At block 108, the sever stores the set of Web-based information contained in the transfer request with the calendar and contact data associated with the user in the database.
When the transfer request is sent to the server, the server will need to access the user's calendar and contact data. If the user is registered with the personal information management system, a cookie may be created by the Web browser so that the browser may login to the system without requiring any action by the user. A cookie is a mechanism known in the art that allows the Web browser to store information about the user. If the Web browser does not have a cookie with the users' login information, the user will be presented with a request for login information. Once the user provides the requested login information, the server may access the user's calendar and contact data. While the set of Web-based information is transferred to the PIM, the user will advantageously remain at the location on the Web where the set of Web-based information was found and may the continue searching the Web. If the user is not registered with the personal information management system, the user will be presented with a request to register. When the user has registered with the system, a calendar and address list will automatically be created for the user and stored in the database.
At block 110, when the set of Web-based information has been added to the user's calendar and contact data, a response is sent from the server to the toolbar at the Web browser to indicate that the set of Web-based information has been added. For example, a light may appear on the toolbar, or an additional window may appear to indicate a successful addition of the set of Web-based information.
In a further embodiment, the user may add the set of Web-based information to a handheld device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone. In one embodiment, the handheld device may be a PDA such as the Palm m505 or Palm VIIx provided by Palm, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. The user's calendar and contact data stored in the database at the server may be added to calendar and contact data on a PDA using synchronization methods known in the art. The PDA may synchronize with the calendar and contact data using a wired connection or through wireless communication for a wireless device.
The user may then select the add address link 306, which appears as a graphical button in the toolbar in
Returning to
Once the server is able to login to the personal information management system, the server may access the user's calendar and contact data. At this point, however, the user has advantageously not entered the personal information management system Web site, and remains at a location on the Web browser where the user may continue searching the Web for information. After the set of Web-based information is transferred to the PIM, the user may view the transferred information by accessing the PIM.
Alternative embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer program product for use with a computer system. Such implementation may include a series of computer instructions fixed either on a tangible medium, such as a computer readable media (e.g., a diskette, CD-ROM, ROM or fixed disk), or fixed in a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave that is transmittable to a computer system via a modem or other interface device, such as a communications adapter connected to a network over a medium. The medium may be either a tangible medium (e.g., optical or analog communications lines) or a medium implemented with wireless techniques (e.g., microwave, infrared or other transmission techniques). the series of computer instructions preferably embodies all or part of the functionality described herein with respect to the system. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that such computer instructions can be written in a number of programming languages for use with may computer architectures or operating systems. Furthermore, such instructions may be stored in any memory device, such as a semiconductor, magnetic, optical or other memory devices, and may be transmitted using any communications technology, such as optical, infrared, microwave or other transmission technologies. It is expected such a computer program product may be distributed as a removable computer program product with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (e.g., shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the network (e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).
Although various exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made which will achieve some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the true scope of the invention. These and other obvious modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20020180776 A1 | Dec 2002 | US |