Electronic note taking from network web pages

Abstract

An electronic note taking application is described in which a user may make check box selections on web pages such that certain portions of the web pages are cumulatively collected in a clipboard. As the user navigates through various web pages on a website, the user can make highlighted and checkmark selections in the web pages, which are cumulatively collected for later use and reporting. At the end of a session, the entire selection of selected materials from all web pages during the session can be displayed to the user as a single cohesive document.

1. A web server, comprising:
 a web page facility to create web pages of predefined objects designed to be clipped and collected by a user and having check boxes associated with corresponding ones of a least some of the objects on said web pages;    a storage resource to temporarily store portions of selected web pages identified via the user selection indicators as a cumulative list of objects captured while the selected web pages are displayed; and    a compiler to send the user the cumulative list of objects for display in an organized fashion and to collect information associated with historical selection activity of said predefined objects by multiple ones of said users.    
     
     
       2. A web server according to  claim 1 , further including:
 a session controller that identifies a commencement and termination of a user session employing the server; and    an information capture facility to electronically designate the user identified portions of the selected ones of the web pages.    
     
     
       3. A web server according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the information capture facility and the session controller also assigns a time stamp to the electronically designated user identified portions of the selected ones of the retrieved and displayed network web pages, and sends the time stamp to the storage resource for storage as an object associated with the corresponding captured object. 
     
     
       4. A web server according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the information capture facility and the session controller also assigns a network address stamp to the electronically designated user identified portions of the selected ones of the retrieved and displayed network web pages, and sends the network address stamp to the storage resource for storage as an object associated with the corresponding captured object. 
     
     
       5. A web server according to  claim 2 , further including a relational database of objects, links and pointers associated with the web pages, and wherein the information capture facility cooperates with the relational database to provide selection boxes adjacent at least some of said objects, links and pointers contained and displayed in the requested local network web pages; and
 said storage resource cooperates with the relational database to correlate user denoted selections in said check boxes with said storage of the corresponding objects displayed in the web pages.    
     
     
       6. A web server according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the storage resource and the information capture facility maintain a cumulative listing over a plurality of sessions of said identified portions of the selected web pages. 
     
     
       7. A web server according to  claim 2 , further including an enable operator to provide a user selectable identifier to enable the information capture facility. 
     
     
       8. A web server according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the storage resource is a database storing each identified portion of each selected web page as a database object.    
     
     
       9. A web server according to  claim 8 , wherein the database further includes a pointer list to identify the database objects as the cumulative list of captured objects. 
     
     
       10. A web server according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the check boxes are displayed adjacent the corresponding objects displayed in the web pages; and    said storage resource further includes a relational database to correlate user denoted selections in said check boxes with said storage of the corresponding objects displayed in the web pages.    
     
     
       11. A web server according to  claim 10 , further including an enable operator to provide a user selectable identifier to enable the check boxes. 
     
     
       12. A method of clipboarding information from network web pages, comprising:
 displaying selected web pages;    providing check boxes graphically associated with data objects displayed on said web pages;    identifying a user entry associated with at least one of said check boxes of at least one of said web pages;    collecting information associated with the identified user entries for each of said selected web pages into a common electronic clipboard; and    displaying in an organized fashion all of the collected information associated with the identified user entries from the common electronic clipboard.    
     
     
       13. A method according to  claim 12 , further including:
 user enabling the displaying step via a graphical user interface button.    
     
     
       14. A method of clipboarding information from network web pages comprising:
 providing a web browser routine operatively associated with a browser displaying a selected one of said network web pages;    graphically pre-identifying multiple discrete pre-defined portions of said at least one web page displayed with corresponding check boxes, said portions being graphically pre-identified prior to being displayed by said browser;    recording user selections of said portions;    collecting the selections into a common electronic clipboard; and    displaying in an organized fashion all of the collected portions from the common electronic clipboard for a user for a session.    
     
     
       15. A method as in  claim 14  wherein the displaying step is initiated by a user instruction to display the collected portions. 
     
     
       16. A method as in  claim 14  wherein the collecting and displaying steps are initiated by a user instruction to collect and display the collected portions. 
     
     
       17. A method as in  claim 14  wherein the user-selected multiple discrete portions are portions of multiple sequentially user-selected and displayed network web pages. 
     
     
       18. A method as in  claim 14 , further including the step, upon user prompt, of purging the collected portions from the clipboard. 
     
     
       19. A method of clipboarding information according to  claim 16  wherein the routine is a plug-in. 
     
     
       20. A method of clipboarding information according to  claim 14  further including the step of maintaining an unlimited number of the collected portions over a plurality of browser sessions. 
     
     
       21. A method of clipboarding information according to  claim 14  further including the step of recording timestamp and URL information associated with the discrete portions selected by the user. 
     
     
       22. A method of clipboarding information according to  claim 21  further including the step of sending the timestamp and URL to a network server. 
     
     
       23. A method according to  claim 14  further including the step of sending at least an indication of the identified user selected portions to a server. 
     
     
       24. A method of clipboarding information according to  claim 14  wherein:
 the routine is a plug-in;    the method further maintains an unlimited number of the collected portions over a plurality of sessions of the browser;    the method further stores timestamp and URL information associated with the user selected portions; and    the method further includes the step of at least one of: 
 sending the timestamp and URL information to a server, or  
 sending at least an indication of the identified user selected portions to a server.  
   
     
     
       25. A method of clipboarding information from network web pages, the method being operable in a system in which a computer is operatively connected to a network of computers, said computer including a monitor, an input device, and a web browser, said network including at least one server, the method comprising:
   providing said computer with said network web pages, each of said network web pages having been specifically created to include at least one predefined data object for clipping and collection by a user, said providing of said network web pages including providing user - selectable regions/areas associated with and distinct from at least some of said predefined data objects displayed on a displayed network web page;        detecting, at said computer, user selections of more than one of said user - selectable regions/areas;        cumulatively collecting information associated with a plurality of said predefined data objects corresponding to the detected user selections; and        maintaining the collected information in a storage resource for future use.     
     
     
       26. A method as in  claim 25  further comprising: displaying at least some of the collected information. 
     
     
       27. A method as in  claim 25  wherein the information is collected in a common electronic clipboard. 
     
     
       28. A method as in  claim 25  wherein at least one said user- selectable region/area comprises a check box.   
     
     
       29. A method as in  claim 25  wherein at least one said user- selectable region/area is graphically displayed as a square shape.   
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 25  wherein at least two of said user selection actions take place in distinct sessions. 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 25  wherein said collected information is maintained for a future use selected from the group comprising:
   recording for future analysis; printing; and emailing.     
     
     
       32. A method of clipboarding information from a web page, the method being operable in a system in which a computer is operatively connected to a network of computers, said computer including a monitor, an input device, and a web browser, said network including at least one server, the method comprising:
   providing a web browser routine operatively associated with a browser displaying said web page;        providing said web page, said web page having been created to include multiple discrete pre - defined portions having corresponding user - selectable regions/areas;        graphically pre - identifying said multiple discrete pre - defined portions of said web page displayed with said corresponding user - selectable regions/areas, said pre - defined portions being graphically pre - identified prior to being displayed by said browser; each said user - selectable region/area being distinct from each other user - selectable region/area and being distinct from said corresponding pre - defined portions,        recording information associated with a plurality of user selections of a plurality of said pre - defined portions;        cumulatively collecting the information associated with the plurality of user selections of said plurality of predefined portions; and        maintaining information associated with a plurality of said selections for subsequent use.     
     
     
       33. A method as in  claim 32  wherein said subsequent use is selected from the group comprising:
   printing said user selections; displaying said user selections; and e - mailing said user selections.     
     
     
       34. A method as in  claim 32  wherein said collecting of said user selections occurs in response to a user request. 
     
     
       35. A method as in  claim 34  wherein said collecting of said user selections occurs automatically. 
     
     
       36. The method of  claim 32  wherein at least two of said user selection actions take place in distinct sessions. 
     
     
       37. The method of  claim 32  wherein at least one of said user- selectable region/area comprises a check box.   
     
     
       38. The method of  claim 32  wherein at least one of said user- selectable region/area is graphically displayed as a rectangular shape.   
     
     
       39. The method of  claim 32  wherein said collected information is maintained for a future use selected from the group comprising:
   recording for future analysis; printing; and emailing.     
     
     
       40. A method of clipboarding information from network web pages, the method being operable in a system in which a computer is operatively connected to a network of computers, said computer including a monitor, an input device, and a web browser, said network including at least one server, said information comprising individual search results, the method comprising:
   providing said network web pages, each of said network web pages having been specifically created to include at least one predefined data object for clipping and collection by a user;        displaying a plurality of selected network web pages;        providing a predefined clipping function associated with the search results displayed on said network web pages;        identifying user selection actions initiating said predefined clipping function associated with more than one of said search results of at least one of said network web pages;        cumulatively collecting information associated with the identified user search results for each of said selected web pages into a common electronic clipboard; and        displaying all of the collected information associated with the identified user selection actions from the common electronic clipboard.     
     
     
       41. The method of  claim 40  wherein at least two of said user selection actions take place in distinct sessions.