Systems and methods for generating personalized dynamic presentations from non-personalized presentation structures and contents

Abstract

A computer system for generating a dynamic presentation comprises: a master storage containing master presentation data having a master nodal structure and master contents associated with content nodes of said structure, a structure editor capable of copying said master nodal structure into a personalized data structure in a dedicated read/write storage and of selectively changing the copied master nodal structure into a personalized nodal structure in response to user inputs, wherein said personalized nodal structure comprises all or part of the nodes of the master nodal structure, a contents editor capable of copying a master content into said personalized data structure in said dedicated read/write storage and of selectively changing the copied master content into a personalized content in response to user inputs, a dynamic presentation generator for generating a personalized presentation by accessing said personalized data structure, determining which content nodes in said structure belong to personalized presentation, and for any such content node selectively accessing master contents or personalized content if the latter is present in said personalized data structure.

1 . A computer system for generating a dynamic presentation, comprising:
 a master storage containing master presentation data having a master nodal structure and master contents associated with content nodes of said structure,   a structure editor capable of copying said master nodal structure into a personalized data structure in a dedicated storage and of selectively changing the copied master nodal structure into a personalized nodal structure in response to user inputs, wherein said personalized nodal structure comprises all or part of the nodes of the master nodal structure,   a contents editor capable of copying a master content into said personalized data structure in said dedicated read/write storage and of selectively changing the copied master content into a personalized content in response to user inputs,   a dynamic presentation generator for generating a personalized presentation by accessing said personalized data structure, determining which content nodes in said structure belong to personalized presentation, and for any such content node selectively accessing master contents or personalized content if the latter is present in said personalized data structure.   
     
     
         2 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein said contents editor and said presentation generator share common display generation tools, whereby said contents editor operates in what-you-see-is-what-you-get mode. 
     
     
         3 . A computer system according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein said structure editor comprises a display generator for displaying labels of nodes of the master nodal structure and user-input sensitive graphic items associated to each node label for selectively declaring each associated node as enabled or disabled in the personalized nodal structure. 
     
     
         4 . A computer system according to  claim 3 , wherein said master nodal structure comprises a tree structure file where each content node of the structure has an enabled/disabled tag, and wherein the structure editor is capable of changing the tag values depending on the user inputs made on the graphic items. 
     
     
         5 . A computer system according to  claim 4 , further comprising a presentation duration computing unit capable of dynamically adding together duration information associated with each enabled node and of displaying the total duration. 
     
     
         6 . A computer system according to  claims 3 , wherein:
 said master contents include master presentation template data toward which point template pointers associated to structure nodes, and contents data towards which point content pointers associated to said template data, and   wherein said presentation generator is capable of accessing master presentation template data pointed by an enabled node, of checking whether a corresponding personalized content is contained in said dedicated storage, if so using said personalized content for the presentation, and if not accessing master content located in the master storage for the presentation.   
     
     
         7 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein said nodal structures and said contents are tag-based arborescent files. 
     
     
         8 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of personalization data sets and a selector for selecting one of said personalization data sets, each of said personalization data sets comprising a personalized nodal structure and personalized contents. 
     
     
         9 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein said master storage is a read-only removable medium storage unit, and wherein said dedicated read/write storage is a different storage unit. 
     
     
         10 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a communications device for transmitting to a remote computer system a personalized nodal structure and personalized contents as a single data package. 
     
     
         11 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein the master storage contains both master presentation data and localized presentation data, so that personalized presentation in different languages can be generated. 
     
     
         12 . A computer system according to  claim 11 , further comprising a language selector for selecting a particular localized nodal structure and localized contents as master nodal structure and contents. 
     
     
         13 . A computer system according to  claim 12 , wherein the system is adapted, for each content intended to belong to a presentation, to first check whether a personalized content exists, if so to use such personalized content, and if not to check whether a localized content exists, if so to use such localized content, and if not to use a master content. 
     
     
         14 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a database editor capable of copying at least part of a master database contained in the master presentation data into said dedicated read-write storage and to personalize data of said copied database in response to user inputs, wherein said presentation generator is capable of dynamically using said personalized data for the presentation. 
     
     
         15 . A computer system according to  claim 1 , wherein said dynamic presentation generator comprises an interactive presentation generator. 
     
     
         16 . A method for generating a personalized dynamic presentation in a computer system having a master storage containing master presentation data having a master nodal structure and master contents associated to the nodes of said nodal structure, defining together a non-personalized dynamic presentation, said method comprising:
 copying said master nodal structure from said master storage to a personalized data structure contained in a dedicated read/write storage,   editing said copied structure into a personalized nodal structure in response to user inputs, wherein said personalized nodal structure comprises all or part of the nodes of the master nodal structure,   for at least one of said nodes, copying a master content to said personalized data structure contained in said dedicated read/write storage,   editing said copied master content into a personalized content in response to user inputs, and   generating said personalized dynamic presentation by accessing said personalized data structure, determining which content nodes in said structure belong to the personalized presentation, and for any such content node selectively accessing master contents or personalized content if the latter is present in said personalized data structure.   
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein said contents editing and presentation generating steps are performed with common display generation tools, whereby said contents editing is made in what-you-see-is-what-you-get mode. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 16  or  17 , wherein said structure editing step comprises displaying labels of nodes of the master nodal structure and user-input sensitive graphic items associated to each node label for selectively declaring each associated node as enabled or disabled to the personalized nodal structure. 
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein said master nodal structure comprises a tree structure file where each content node of the structure has an enabled/disabled tag, said structure editing step comprising changing the values of said tags in response to user inputs on said graphic items. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 18 , further comprising dynamically adding together duration information associated with each enabled node and displaying the total duration, the dynamically adding step being performed at the time of node enablement/disablement. 
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein:
 said master contents include master presentation template data toward which point template pointers associated to structure nodes, and contents data towards which point content pointers associated to said template data, and   wherein said presentation generating step comprises accessing master presentation template data pointed by an enabled node, checking whether a corresponding personalized content is contained in said personalized data structure and if so, accessing said personalized content for the part of the presentation corresponding to said node and alternatively if not, accessing master content located in the master storage for part of the presentation corresponding to said node.   
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein said nodal structures and said contents are tag-based arborescent files. 
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein:
 said personalized data structure comprises a plurality of personalization data sets, each personalized data set comprising a personalized nodal structure and associated personalized contents, and   the method further comprises a step of selecting one of said personalization data sets prior to the presentation generating step.   
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein said master storage is a read-only removable medium storage unit, and wherein said dedicated read/write storage is a different storage unit. 
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein the master storage contains both master presentation data and localized presentation data, so that personalized presentation in different languages can be generated. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 25 , further comprising an initial step of language selection, and a step of a language selector for selecting a particular localized nodal structure and localized contents as master nodal structure and contents. 
     
     
         27 . A method for transmitting a personalized dynamic presentation from a first computer system to second computer system, comprising:
 providing the first and second computer systems with a master storage medium containing similar non-personalized dynamic presentation data,   at said first computer system, assembling a personalized data structure into a single data package,   transmitting said package from said first computer system to said second computer system, and   at said second computer system, disassembling said single data package into said personalized data structure and storing said structure in a dedicated read/write storage,   whereby said second computer system is capable of generating said personalized dynamic presentation from said non-personalized dynamic presentation data and said personalized data structure.   
     
     
         28 . A computer-based tool for assisting salespersons in the presentation of products/services on offer, comprising:
 storage containing a master product/service presentation including data associated with a number of products/services on offer,   an editor for changing the master product/service presentation into a personalized product presentation and for storing in a personalization data set representative of the changes, and   a dynamic presentation generator for reading said master product presentation in said storage and said personalization file in order to generate a personalized presentation for selected products/services, wherein presentation contents can further be personalized in accordance with the personalization data set.   
     
     
         29 . A method for assisting salespersons in the presentation of products/services on offer, comprising:
 providing to each salesperson a computer-readable data storage medium containing a master product/service presentation including data associated with a number of products/services on offer,   providing to each sales person a computer-based editor for changing the master product/service presentation into a personalized product presentation and for storing in a personalization data set representative of the changes and accessible by said computer, and   providing to each salesperson a dynamic presentation generator for reading said master product presentation in said storage and said personalization file in order to generate a personalized presentation for selected products/services in accordance with the personalization data set.   
     
     
         30 . A method according to  claim 29 , wherein said editor and said presentation generator are provided on said data storage medium for installation on the salesperson computer system. 
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 29  or  30 , further comprising:
 providing to regional sales entity computer-readable data storage media each containing a plurality of master product/service presentations corresponding to products/services available in respective regions,   providing the computer systems of salespersons in a given region with code limiting access by the editor and presentation generator to the master product/service presentation corresponding to said given region.   
     
     
         32 . The computer system according to  claim 7 , wherein said tag-based arborescent files are XML files. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein said tag-based arborescent files are XML files. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 27 , wherein said second computer system generates said personalized dynamic presentation by:
 copying a master nodal structure from a master storage to said personalized data structure contained in said dedicated read/write storage,   editing said copied structure into a personalized nodal structure in response to user inputs, wherein said personalized nodal structure comprises all or part of the nodes of the master nodal structure,   for at least one of said nodes, copying a master content to said personalized data structure contained in said dedicated read/write storage,   editing said copied master content into a personalized content in response to user inputs, and   generating said personalized dynamic presentation by accessing said personalized data structure, determining which content nodes in said structure belong to the personalized presentation, and for any such content node selectively accessing master contents or personalized content if the latter is present in said personalized data structure.