WO2002061618A1

WO2002061618A1 - Internet directory by in-site registration

Info

Publication number: WO2002061618A1
Application number: PCT/IL2001/000087
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nachshon Alfasi
Original assignee: Wru N.V.
Priority date: 2001-01-30
Filing date: 2001-01-30
Publication date: 2002-08-08

Abstract

A system for creating a universal internet directory that is based on in - site registration. A software is provided to the user that enables the user to monitor and control a personal home page. The software comprises an in - site registration utility and a two level hierarchy of servers is implemented for collecting the information from peer users in an organization into an organization database and from the organization databases to a global world directory database. The universal directory provides a convenient and efficient solution for the present situation where users register at random in different directories whereby the search for an e-mail address becomes complicated and time consuming.

Description

INTERNET DIRECTORY BY IN - SITE REGISTRATION

Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a system for creating a global world directory of internet users and a global world directory that is created by the inventive system. In accordance with the invention the directory is a database that is built through registration by the user within the user's personal homepage and the registration software is part of a personal homepage monitoring and control software.

Background of the Invention

In recent years a considerable number of directory services have been introduced on the internet. In existing directories registration is performed by accessing the directory's www address via a www browser, clicking on a "new user" link in order to access a "new user" form for entering the user's personal data and filling out a form designed for that purpose.

Such sites require the user to enter a login name and password for any subsequent visits whether to update the original data or to use the site information database.

The idea of these sites is to attract as many users as possible as each site aims at becoming the main and preferably the sole directory service on the net. Each user may register in any site and in any number of sites, the result being that the search for a specific person on the net is tedious <and time consuming. In the present circumstances there is no method that provides efficient means for creating a single directory that would totally cover the web.

It would be desirable to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by a new system for registration that facilitates the act of registration and eliminates the need to access a registration site by collecting the registration data directly from the user's homepage. Such a system would enable the creation of a global world register that would provide a one shop search for any user data or address required. It is known to install on an organization server a monitoring and control system for monitoring the organization server activities and content. Such systems are capable of monitoring file content, saving a log of any activities and files and performing operations that have been programmed to be combined to specific events. It is proposed to implement a user registration means that is comprised within a client/server monitoring and control system that enables monitoring and controlling homepage files by the user as well as registration within the user's site whereby the creation of a global world directory of internet users is facilitated.

Summary of the Invention

It is suggested to implement a new system for in-site registration on the web. According to the novel system one or more of the files in a home page controlling and monitoring software enable registration and submission of personal data, such that the user may register by filling out a form within his/her home page.

The registration file is a binary encrypted file, whereby the data are protected during transmission and administration.

The system of the invention facilitates the creation of a global world directoiy by combining the in site registration feature with a personal homepage monitoring and controlling system.

In accordance with the invention the homepage monitoring and controlling system is a client/server application that enables creating and updating the personal data files and gathers the information from the different homepages into a global world directory. This client/server application also provides the user with a novel means of monitoring and controlling the user homepage files.

The global world directory is assembled into a two level database hierarchy wherein at the first level personal data from individual home pages are collected by an organization server into an organization database and the data from all organization databases are then collected by a www server into a second level database that is a world global directory database. The world global directory is designed to enable a user to search for any address or personal user data on the web without the need to approach other registration sites in an attempt to locate the requested data.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the in - site registration system

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of the operation of the monitoring and control application

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the bi level hierarchy of databases and the servers that create the world global directory

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will be described hereinbelow in respect of a preferred embodiment and with reference to the drawings. It will be understood however that many other variations and applications of the invention may be made that still remain within the scope of the invention as claimed in the claims.

The invention is directed to a system for in-site registration. The system enables users to register their personal data with a global internet directory inside their homepage and within the framework of their respective organizations or under their respective ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in the environment of the www. In the context of the invention the term homepage refers to the files in the user area that are accessible by internet users. In another sense, the term homepage is also meant to designate the visual display that is presented to an internet user when accessing the homepage files via an internet browser.

The inventive system involves a monitoring and control program that is distributed to all users and it results in the creation of a universal global directory of user information. In the specification the term organization is applied to both regular organizations and ISP organizations. Referring to Fig. 1, a block diagram of the operation of the in - site registration system is shown in respect of an intranet system of an organization in an internet environment with peer user workstations 1, an array of organization servers 2 and a disk space 3 for storing user information.

In the preferred embodiment the organization server is a www server. It will be understood however that the registration, monitoring and controlling applications may be operated by a server specifically designed for that purpose.

As shown in Fig. 1, the in-site registration system involves the transfer of personal data files 4 from the peer user workstations 1 to the disk space 3 via the organization server array 2 for storage in the said disk space 3.

In the inventive system, the personal data files 4 are treated in the same way as the other homepage files. Files are transferred between an organization disk space 3 and the peer user workstations 1 in a bi-directional file flow. In a first direction, the personal data files 4 and any updates are transferred together with other homepage files to be displayed or stored from the peer user workstations 1 to the organization server array 2 via .file flow path 5 and from there via file flow path 6 to the organization disk space 3. In the reverse direction the data flow is directed from the organization disk space 3 to the organization server array 2 via file flow path 6 and from the organization server 2 back to the peer user workstations 1 via file flow path 5. This bi-directional route is used when the user is browsing the home page files and the registration data or for updating and modifying the files through an editor application.

The organization disk space 3 may be comprised in the organization server array 2 or it may be provided in a separate server or server array within the intranet network. It will be understood that the disk space 3 may also reside at any appropriate location in the internet. Where the organization disk space 3 is separate from the organization server array 2, the personal data files 4 are sent from the array of organization servers 2 to the organization disk space 3 together with any other files in file flow path 6 to be stored within the organization disk space 3 and the personal data files 4 may be sent from the organization disk space 3 back to the organization server array 2 together with any other files in file flow path 6 and from there on to the user's workstation 1 via file flow path 5 for updating and browsing.

The user may save copies of the personal data files 4 within the organization disk space 3 according to several alternatives. A simple alternative is directly accessing the organization disk space 3 that is meant to hold the user files. This alternative may be achieved by login to the computer in which the disk space 3 is comprised for accessing the files or by network mapping of the disk space 3 as known.

In accordance with a second and a third alternative the personal data files 4 are prepared in the user's own disk space to be uploaded or transferred via ftp (file transfer protocol) to the organization server array 2 and from there to the organization disk space 3.

The above described ways for saving the personal data files 4 are also suitable for saving the said personal data files 4 as binary encrypted files in the disk space within the organization that is dedicated to that user's files.

The personal data files saved in the organization disk space 3 are arranged by the monitoring and controlling application of the invention in the form of an organization database that provides the organization with a means of saving, organizing and retrieving personal information regarding the members of the organization.

Referring to Fig. 2, a flow diagram of the monitor and control (M&C) system of the present invention is shown. The M&C system is a client/server application that is used to control and monitor the www files of the user, the said files comprising the user's personal data files.

There are two ways available to the users for operating the M&C client application. The first is by using a www browser and the second - by using a regular application. Each organization is free to make its own decision for choosing between those alternatives, considering security and administration issues and any other matters of organization policy. The M&C application enables users to set definitions from the user workstations 1 for monitoring and controlling the user www files. These definitions are transferred to the organization server 2 and they may be kept in the same disk space within the organization that is dedicated to that user's files similarly to the user's registration details. The M&C application also enables the user to edit the personal data files to be transferred to the organization server 2 within the data flow 7.

The M&C definitions comprise diverse www issues that need to be monitored and controlled. The following is a description by way of example of several such issues. Thus for example www references are hypertext phrases that connect the user to another www page when clicked. Such www references may be introduced by the user in his home page and an M&C definition set to monitor and control some or all of them so that the user is notified when they become invalid whereby an unattended impression of the home page is avoided.

Another M&C definition concerns adding/deleting/modification of www files. Sometimes these changes occur without the user being aware of them. An appropriate M&C definition may be to monitor and control the status of the www files that the user wishes to follow. Yet another M&C definition may be to define monitoring and controlling of access counters.

The organization server array 2 stores the M&C definitions and the registration data of each user in the said user's respective space within the disk space 3. The organization server array 2 also cooperates with an organization database 8 to arrange two kinds of information flow 9.

The first kind of information is the registration data of the individual users of the organization. As seen in Fig. 2 at 10, the user receives the registration data from the Organization server array 2 for editing and updating. The updated registration data are returned to the organization server array 2 via data flow 7 and transmitted to the organization database 8 to be saved in the said organization database 8. In a preferred embodiment, the registration data are also saved in the user space that is dedicated to the individual user within disk space 3. This redundancy is implemented for the event that the organization server is not active when the user updates the data. The duplicate saving of the information has the advantage that in the event of disk failure the data are preserved.

The second kind of information is the M&C event log that is built by the M&C server application. When the M&C server application is activated, it starts the monitor and control operation according to the definitions of each individual user. Each event is documented in the event log that makes the information easily available to the user when required as shown at 10. In accordance with a preferred embodiment the user may also ask for a special message such as an e-mail when necessary. It will be understood that while the database 8 is shown to be separate from the organization server array 2, it may also reside within the said server array 2.

Referring now to Fig. 3, a block diagram of the bi level hierarchy of databases and the servers that build the world global directory is shown. Each of the organization servers of the different organizations runs its respective M&C application for gathering the organization data as clarified above. A world global directory server 11 communicates with these servers and collects the personal data files 4 and any updates that are then transferred to the World Global Directory 12. A control data flow 13 is operated between the world global directory server 13 and the world global directory 12 for maintenance purposes. The information in the world global directoiy is accessible to internet users via www browsers and information may be retrieved from data partitions according to user specifications. It will be understood that a specific application may be designed for the purpose of enabling access to the world global directory.

It will be further understood that while in the preferred embodiment the M&C system resides in the www server array 2, it may be designed to reside in any other server.

As seen from the above description, the invention provides a new system for creating a world global directory in the internet that is convenient and efficient in that users are provided with means for submitting, updating and generally controlling their personal user data- all within their respective homepages. It is one of the advantages of the inventive system that the M&C system enables a personal monitoring and controlling operation that is easily adapted to the individual user's needs.

It is another advantage of the inventive system that the need to access a registration site and the need to make a choice between directories is eliminated whereby creation of a global and universal directory database is highly facilitated.

It is a further advantage of the invention that updating the personal data that were submitted to the world global directory database does not require the use of a code or access number whereby the database may be managed as a reliable and up to date source of personal information.

It is yet another advantage of the invention that the world global directory enables a one shop search for any person on the net and eliminates the need for searching several directories to find the requested data.

Claims

Claims:

1. A system for creating a world global internet directory database in an internet environment that comprises a multiplicity of organizations each organization having multiple peer user workstations and an organization server, the said system comprising the following steps:

(a) Enabling users to feed and update personal user data via their respective peer user workstations within their respective user homepage files by employing a client/server application,

(b) collecting the said personal user data from the users within an organization via a first level organization server

(c) saving the said personal user data collected from the users within the organization in a first level disk space

(d) processing and organizing the said personal user data collected from the user in a first level organization database

(e) collecting the organized user data from the said first level organization database via a second level database server

(f) storing the said personal user data from the said second level database server in a second level database in a second level disk space such that the said may be searched and the said personal data may be retrieved and viewed by internet users.

2. A system for creating a world global internet directory database in an internet environment as claimed in claim 1 hereinabove wherein the said organization is an intranet organization.

3. A system for creating a world global internet directory database in an internet environment as claimed in claim 1 hereinabove wherein the said organization is an internet service provider.

4. A system for creating a world global internet directory database in an internet environment as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the said first level disk space is comprised in the said first level organization server.

5. A system for creating a world global internet directory database in an internet environment as claimed in any of claims 1-3 hereinabove wherein the said first level disk space is comprised in the said organization database.

6. A system for creating a world global internet directory database in an internet environment as claimed in any of claims 1 -3 hereinabove wherein the said disk space is comprised in a memory that is separated from the said second level database.

7. A system for creating a world global internet directory according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said personal data are submitted and updated by the user directly accessing the disk space that is designed to store the user data files within the organization, without using the said client/server application.

8. A system for creating a world global internet directory according to any of the preceding claims wherein the monitoring and controlling application is operated via a www browser.

9. A system for creating a world global internet directory according to any of the preceding claims wherein the monitoring and controlling application resides in the said organization server.

10. A system for creating a world global internet directory according to any of claims 1-8 wherein the monitoring and controlling application resides in a location that is separate from the said organization server.

11. A system for creating an intranet directory database in an intranet environment that comprises a multiplicity of peer user workstations and an organization server connected to an organization database the said system comprising the following steps:

(a) Enabling users to feed and update personal user data via their respective peer user workstations to their respective user homepage files by employing a client/server application,

(b) saving the said personal user data collected from the users within the organization in a first level disk space

(c) processing and organizing the said personal user data collected from the user in a first level organization database such that the said first level organization database may be searched and the said personal data may be retrieved and viewed by intranet users

12. A world global internet directory that is created and updated by a bi level server system that collects personal user data fed by individual users to personal data files comprised in their respective homepage files.