Method and system for archiving and retrieving bibliography information and reference material

Abstract

A manuscript author uses a website on the Internet as a manuscript reference. The author transmits the address of the website to a database connected to the Internet. The database uses the address to obtain a copy of the website from the Internet upon receiving the address such that the website copy is the same as the website as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the address. The database stores the website copy with a key. The author lists the key in the manuscript. An audience obtains the key from the manuscript and transmits a request for the website copy along with the key to the database. The database transmits via the Internet the website copy to the audience in response to the request such that the audience receives a website copy as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the address.

1 . A system for archiving manuscript references, the system comprising: 
 a database in communication via the Internet with an author of a manuscript and an audience of the manuscript;    wherein the database receives via the Internet the address of a web site being used by the author as a reference for the manuscript, uses the web site address to obtain a copy of the web site from the Internet upon receiving the web site address such that the copy of the web site is the same as the web site as on the Internet at the time the author used the web site as a reference for the manuscript, and stores the copy of the web site along with a distinctive key;    wherein the database transmits via the Internet the copy of the web site to the audience in response to receiving the key from the audience such that the audience receives a copy of the web site as on the Internet at the time the author used the web site as a reference for the manuscript.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the database transmits via the Internet the key to the author.    
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the database stores the web site address along with the copy of the web site and the key.    
   
   
       4 . A method for archiving manuscript references, the method comprising: 
 an author of a manuscript using a web site on the Internet as a reference for the manuscript;    the author transmitting via the Internet the address of the web site to a database connected to the Internet;    the database using the web site address to obtain a copy of the web site from the Internet upon receiving the web site address such that the copy of the web site is the same as the web site as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the web site address;    the database storing the copy of the web site with a distinctive key;    the author citing the web site as being a reference for the manuscript by listing the key in the manuscript;    an audience of the manuscript obtaining the key from the manuscript, the audience transmitting via the Internet the key to the database to request the database for the copy of the web site; and    the database transmitting via the Internet the copy of the web site to the audience in response to receiving the key from the audience such that the audience receives a copy of the web site as on the Internet at the time the author transmitted the web site address.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein: 
 the database associates the key with the copy of the web site;    the method further comprising the database transmitting via the Internet the key to the author.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising: 
 the database storing the web site address along with the copy of the web site and the key.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 4  wherein: 
 the author associates the key with the copy of the web site;    the method further comprising the author transmitting via the Internet the key to the database.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising: 
 the author using an e-mail as a reference for the manuscript;    the author transmitting via the Internet a copy of the e-mail to the database for the database to store; and    the database transmitting via the Internet a copy of the e-mail to the audience in response receiving a request for a copy of the e-mail from the audience.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising: 
 the author using a digital file as a reference for the manuscript;    the author transmitting via the Internet a copy of the digital file to the database for the database to store; and    the database transmitting via the Internet a copy of the digital file to the audience in response receiving a request for a copy of the digital file from the audience.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising: 
 the author using a paper book as a reference for the manuscript;    the author transmitting via the Internet an electronic scanned copy of the paper book to the database for the database to store; and    the database transmitting via the Internet a copy of the electronic scanned copy of the paper book to the audience in response to receiving a request for a copy of the electronic scanned copy of the paper book from the audience.    
   
   
       11 . A method comprising: 
 transmitting to a database an identifier of a web site cited as a reference in a manuscript prior to any modifications to the web site as on the Internet after the web site has been cited;    upon the database receiving the identifier, using by the database the identifier to obtain from the Internet a copy of the web site such that the copy of the web site is the same as the web site as on the Internet at the time the web site was cited;    assigning a unique key to the copy of the web site;    storing in the database the copy of the web site with the key;    wherein citing the web site includes listing the key in the manuscript;    an audience obtaining the key from the manuscript; and    transmitting by the database the copy of the web site to the audience in response to the database receiving the key from the audience such that the audience receives a copy of the web site as on the Internet at the time the web site was cited.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 accessing the Internet to locate the web site prior to citing the web site.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein: 
 assigning a unique key to the copy of the web site includes the database assigning the key to the copy of the web site.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising: 
 transmitting by the database the key to an author of the manuscript;    wherein listing the key in the manuscript includes the author listing the key in the manuscript.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein: 
 citing the web site includes the author listing the web site address, the key, and the time at which the web site was accessed in the manuscript.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 the audience transmitting the key to the database after obtaining the key from the manuscript.